"Here's a summer cocktail that isn't too herbaceous or vegetably," Kinch says. "Aloe juice goes well with cucumbers, and Hendrick's Gin adds nice rose and cucumber notes."
Ingredients
8 1/4"-thick slices cucumber
12 small fresh shiso leaves
1/4 cup Hendrick's Gin
6 tablespoons tonic water
1/4 cup aloe juice
2 teaspoons Chartreuse liqueur
Ingredient info: Shiso leaves, from the perilla plant (also known as Japanese basil), are sold at Japanese markets. Aloe juice is available at better supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.
Directions
Using a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, crush and mash cucumber and shiso in a cocktail shaker. Add gin and mash again. Fill shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add tonic, aloe, and Chartreuse. Stir to blend well. Fill 2 Old Fashioned glasses with ice; strain cocktail into glasses.
