Back Forty's Kentucky Kirby

By Mixologist Michael Cecconi
(Serves 1)

Ingredients:

• 1½ ounces Sazerac Rye
• 1½ ounces Kirby Cucumber Sour*
• 3-4 fresh mint leaves

To make the cocktail:
Combine rye, cucumber sour, and mint in a shaker, add ice, then agitate vigorously. Pour through a julep or other fine mesh strainer into a chilled (five ounce) martini glass. Garnish with a thin slice of cucumber and serve.

To make the Kirby Cucumber sour

Ingredients:

• 6 Kirby cucumbers, peeled
• Lime juice
• Simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, heated together until the sugar dissolves)

*Puree cucumbers in a blender with a pinch of salt. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and set aside. To make the sour, mix together two parts strained cucumber juice with one part fresh lime juice and one part simple syrup. (Leftover sour mix can be frozen indefinitely.)

Additional comments by Back Forty mixologist Michael Cecconi
With the addition of market cucumbers as part of a house made sour, I get a nice seasonal twist on a classic julep.  It’s a popular misconception that mint needs to be muddled to give up its flavor; an energetic knocking about in a cocktail shaker will do the job. Also, by straining the bulk of the mint out of the drink before serving it, I ensure that the citric acid and alcohol don’t “cook” the herb. Too much time spent in that environment and mint can start to taste like lawn clippings.

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