easy street

1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2 slice Cucumber

Shake with ice, double strain into a Collins glass with soda water (2 oz), top with ice, and garnish with 2 cucumber slices.

After my bar shift on the Fourth of July, I was flipping through A Spot at the Bar and spotted this cucumber-elderflower drink by Anthony Schmidt that reminded me of something that I had made earlier in the day. That drink was a request was for something St. Germain driven and refreshing, I ended up with a similar formula with the addition of grapefruit juice (1/2 oz), upping the elderflower liqueur (3/4 oz), and utilizing cucumber syrup that we have for our house Pimm's Cup for the simple syrup and cucumber slices here (1/2 oz). I have no clue if prior reading of Schmidt's Easy Street spec factored into the equation that moment, but I was game to give this one a shot and try out this older recipe.
The Easy Street generated a cucumber aroma from the garnishes over hints of lemon and floral elements from the drink beneath. Next, a carbonated lemon and vegetal sip gave way to gin and cucumber blending into elderflower on the swallow.