Cocktail hour will never be the same with one of these delicious beverages. Enjoy with friends on the front porch during a lazy hot summer evening.

Catoctin Creek Watershed Gin
Peeled and seeded cucumber, cut into rough chunks
Fresh lime juice
Lime rind zest mixed with a bit of sugar for the rims
Lime wedges
Thinly sliced pieces of cucumber with the peel ON for garnish
Club soda

Rim the glass with the lime sugar, and fill with crushed ice.

Add four chunks of cuke, the juice from two lime wedges, 1 tsp of sugar to a shaker and muddle in the shaker.  Add 1½ oz gin, 1 oz of lime juice, 1 to 1½ oz simple syrup with ice in the shaker, and shake well.

Pour contents of shaker over ice and garnish with thin slices of cuke. Enjoy!

For the watermelon version just switch out watermelon for the cucumber in the recipe - garnish with the lime/sugar rim and add a small chunk of watermelon and a mint leaf to the rim to make it pretty!!

Courtesy Cheryl Bunce. Photo courtesy Cookie and Kate and used with permission.