Muddle the cucumber with the salt in a cocktail shaker. Spank the mint and drop it in. Add the remaining ingredients and allow to sit for 30 seconds. Add ice, shake, and double-strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a floating mint leaf and place one drop of rose water on the leaf. Float 3-5 more drops of Angostura bitters on the drink.

Origin: Toby Maloney, Violet Hour, Chicago

• 1 ½ oz gin
• ½ oz Aperol
• 1 oz lime juice
• ⅓ oz simple syrup
• 5 quarter-inch cucumber wheels
• tonic water

Muddle the cucumber in a cocktail shaker. Add the other ingredients (except for the tonic) and ice, and shake. Double-strain into an ice-filled highball glass and top with tonic water. Cucumber wheel garnish.

• 2 oz sake
• 1 oz gin
• ½ oz lime juice
• ⅓ oz simple syrup
• 5 thick, peeled slices organic cucumber

Muddle (pulverize) the cucumber in a cocktail shaker. Add the other ingredients and ice. Shake and double-strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a paper-thin, unpeeled slice of cucumber.

• 2 oz Beefeater gin
• ¾ oz lime juice
• ½ oz simple syrup
• 2 slices red bell pepper
• leaves from 1 mint sprig

Muddle the pepper slices with the simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add the lime juice, mint, gin, and ice. Shake. Double-strain into a cocktail glass. Red bell pepper slice garnish.