Some people toil in the soil during the spring breaks in rain to plant a garden. They anticipate summer’s bounty and dream droolingly of fried zucchini flowers, succulent tomato sandwiches, and sweet fresh peas. I plant a garden too.
But I yearn for cocktails.
My summer bounty wets my whistle, and on this hot afternoon, nothing cuts through humidity like Pimm’s.
I like to keep things simple in my bar. There’s no British pomp when I mix up my Pimm’s. There are variations on the traditional Pimm’s Cup, and some recipes tend to be just a tish too fussy for me to deal with after sweating through the thick North Carolina afternoons, ripe with storms and heat lightning. I do love a Pimm’s Cup but today I am opting for the gardener’s cheat version.
Gardener’s Pimm’s
1 ounce Pimm’s
3 ounces lemonade
2 cucumber slices
2 large sprigs of fresh mint
- Fill a high ball with ice. Drop in cucumber slices. Tear mint leaves and rub between your fingers to release the oils. Add to the glass. Pour in Pimm’s and lemonade. Give it a stir.
Cheers to being cool (literally and figuratively).