Recipes for drinks, foods & how to pair the two

Gin

Cucumber Gin Mule, with Delicious Cocktail Pairing

This cucumber gin mule is refreshing and easy to make! It is perfect on its own or an elegant addition to these Tamari Marinated Deviled Eggs.

Cucumber Gin Mule with a lime wheel for garnish and a spooky black candle.
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This is a beautiful, refreshing, crisp and simple cocktail! It is an easy twist on the classic Moscow mule, which contains vodka instead of gin. The other twist is that it uses fresh muddled cucumber! Cucumber adds an amazing fresh flavor and pairs perfectly with the ginger beer. Honestly, it’s a perfect cocktail when people are coming over and you want to impress without much effort.

Seriously, try this Cucumber Gin Mule cocktail with these Tamari Marinated Deviled Eggs. This is for Halloween time, and served in spooky glassware it is sure to be a hit! Plus no one will complain when you pair a great tasting cocktail with the eerie bite. I mean that kind of thought goes a long way, and seriously classes up an evening. If I can have me a classy night, you know I am going to!

Recipe Notes and Substitutions

Ok this recipe is SIMPLE! There are 5 ingredients, and if you are like me you probably already have all of these items on hand.

  • Gin– Any gin that is your favorite will do! Of course one that has more fruity, melon or cucumber notes would work best, but any brand will do. However, Sloe Gin will not work, stick to regular gin. You could substitute vodka for a traditional Moscow mule, bit I find the aromatics of gin plays better with the cucumber and the wasabi.
  • Cucumber– Use any type of cucumber, I tend to prefer English, Arabic or Kirby cucumber because the skin is thinner and less bitter. The bitterness would be fine in the cocktail but I find English, Arabic or Kirby cucumbers have a fresher, cleaner and less vegetal flavor than regular cucumbers. That being said, use what you have on hand.
  • Limes- You will need the juice of said limes as well as wedges or rounds for serving. You could substitute lemon if you do not have lime on hand, however the flavor will be different and won’t work quite as well with the food pairing. If you are pairing this recipe with the Tamari Marinated Deviled Eggs then use lime.
  • Ginger Beer– I always use ginger beer, any kind will work. Ginger beer is naturally gluten free and is not made from grain. The reason it is called ginger beer is it was traditionally naturally fermented like kombucha! Now-a-days you can still find ginger beer that is naturally fermented but the stuff you find in the store will suffice. You can substitute ginger ale if you prefer, I just find ginger beer to be less sweet and I love the spice that ginger beer brings to the cocktail.
  • Angostura Bitters– You can omit this, but bitters just add a beautiful base not to any cocktail. Use orange bitters for this, you can get fancy if you have other bitters that would work on hand but if you have one type I recommend Angostura.

Why the suggested pairing works… In my mind

Cucumber Gin Mule paired with the Tamari Marinated Deviled Eggs.
  1. The ginger beer in the cocktail pairs with all the flavors of the deviled egg. Ginger is naturally found in a lot of asian recipes; it helps to add a base flavor. But ginger has enough strength to not get lost in a mix of flavors. The spice from ginger also pairs with the wasabi, but not in a painful way. Just like in sushi, wasabi and ginger marry here in a beautiful combination of spice, earthiness and fattiness of the avocado and egg yolk. Since ginger beer has sugar it helps to reduce the wasabi burn. Finally, ginger beer pairs with the ginger in both the filling and in the egg white marinade.
  2. Lime juice and cucumber help to add a beautiful refreshing quality that livens up the wasabi and avocado filling. Often sushi rolls have cucumber in them to add a pop of vegetal freshness. That is exactly what the cucumber in the cocktail is doing here. It helps lift everything up and makes the heavy fat and salty notes of the food bite lift off the palate.
  3. The gin brings an incredible botanical quality to the pairing. It bridges the cocktail with the herbs in the deviled egg filling. It also adds some nice earthy tones that interact beautifully with the slight nuttiness from the sesame oil.

Cucumber Gin Mule

This Cucumber Gin Mule is refreshing and crisp. It is perfect on its own or an elegant addition to the Tamari Marinated Deviled Eggs.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Equipment

  • 1 Cocktail Shaker
  • 1 Spoon or Pestle to muddle cucumber
  • 1 Glass for Serving

Ingredients
  

  • 2 oz Gin
  • 1/2 inch Cucumber English prefered
  • 1/2 oz Lime Juice
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • 1 Can Ginger Beer
  • Ice for shaking and serving

Instructions
 

  • To an empty cocktail shaker add the cucumber and muddle/crush with the spoon or pestle. You do not have to completely pulverize it, but break it up to release the flavor.
  • Add gin, lime juice and bitters to the cocktail shaker and top with ice.
  • Shake the cocktail until throughly mixed and chilled.
  • Strain, to remove large chunks of cucumber and seeds. Pour into a glass with ice and top with ginger beer.
  • Serve with a lime wedge and the Tamari Marinated Deviled Eggs. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Gin– If preferred can substitute vodka.
  2. Cucumber– English preferred, regular cucumbers will also work. 
  3. Ginger Beer– Ginger ale will also work if you want less of a ginger bite.
  4. Lime– Use lime, lemon will work but not as much. 
Keyword Cocktail, Cucumber, Easy, Gin, Ginger Beer, Halloween, Lime, Refreshing

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