Introduction to Kiwi Cucumber Gin Cocktail
This Kiwi Cucumber Gin Cocktail tastes incredibly refreshing! Kiwi, cucumber, and lime come together for a lightly sweet, bright-tasting drink. It’s perfect for sipping on a hot summer day or pairing with a fresh grilled dinner. It has no added sugar or sugar alcohols, but kiwis aren’t super low in natural sugars. For this reason, this tall drink comes in at 6.1 net carbs each.
Presentation and Serving
This drink is beautiful and offers up so many fun garnish possibilities–Perfect for a party! Slice the cucumbers long and have them wrapped around the inside of the glass… Cut the kiwis into stars and thread onto a long cocktail stir stick… Finish off with a perfect lime twist… The eye-catching presentation choices are limitless!
Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need:
- Gin: If possible, pick something with floral notes. Any gin will be great, but a floral one is amazing with the cucumber.
- Cucumber: Cut into chunks or slices
- Mint: Fresh mint leaves are best. If you only have mint extract, add just a few drops at a time… Feel free to add more to your preference once you’ve poured the drink.
- Keto Kiwi Simple Syrup: This is a homemade easy sugar-free simple syrup, made with kiwis, water, lemon juice, and liquid monk fruit sweetener. You can use a store-bought sugar-free simple syrup, too.
- Lime Juice: I used freshly squeezed lime juice, but bottled will work just fine as well.
- Sparkling Water: You can use unflavored or flavored sparkling water.
- Ice: I would avoid crushed ice if possible simply because it will melt faster and water down the drink.
How to Make a Gin Cocktail with Cucumber
Start by putting about 1/4 cup of cucumber chunks and the mint leaves into a cocktail shaker with 1 ounce of your kiwi simple syrup and 1 ounce of lime juice. Muddle the cucumber (mashing it with a muddler or the end of a wooden spoon) for at least 30 seconds–Make sure it’s quite macerated. Next, add your ice and gin to the shaker and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds–If you shake it long enough, you’ll get small icy flecks in your drink that are SUPER refreshing! Strain and pour into a highball or Collins glass, then fill to the top with sparkling water. Garnish with a long cucumber slice, a kiwi slice, or a lime wedge.
Sugar-Free Simple Syrup with Kiwi
I make my keto and sugar-free simple syrup by combining this Now Foods Liquid Monk Fruit Sweetener with water. Because erythritol doesn’t dissolve, using a pure monk fruit is the key to a 0-carb, 0-calorie simple syrup. To make this simple syrup with kiwi, I brought one cup of water, 2 cups of chopped kiwi (was 5 medium kiwis for me), 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of liquid monk fruit sweetener to a boil. I lowered the heat and allowed it to simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally mashing the kiwi with a potato masher. After 20 minutes, I removed it from the heat and let it cool. Once cooled, I poured the syrup through a fine mesh strainer and stored it in an airtight jar in the fridge.
What to Serve with Gin Cocktails
We’re bringing out and complementing the light floral notes of the gin in this recipe, so choosing food that will fit the pallet is quite simple! Certain seafood, berries, and spices would work quite well.
- Seafood:
- Keto crab cakes get perfectly crispy while keeping that light flavor and feel!
- Popcorn Shrimp has 3.3 net carbs, and the smokehouse almonds used in the breading adds a beautiful contrast with the floral and citrus notes in this cocktail recipe!
- Blackened Salmon Skewers provide a bigger punch of flavor!
More Keto Cocktails
Happy Hour isn’t cancelled just because you’re keto–There’s a delicious keto cocktail for everyone!
Recipe
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle cucumber pieces and mint leaves with the kiwi simple syrup and lime juice for about 30 seconds.
- Once the cucumber is macerated, add ice and gin. Shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds.
- Strain and pour over ice in a highball or Collins glass. Garnish with mint leaves, kiwis, cucumber slices, or lime wedges.
Notes
- Kiwi simple syrup: Bring 1 cup of water, 2 cups of chopped kiwis (4-6 kiwis depending on the size), 1 tablespoon of liquid monk fruit sweetener, and about 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice to a boil. Allow it to simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally mashing with a fork or potato masher. Remove from heat, allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes, then strain and pour into an airtight container. This will keep in the fridge up to 2 weeks.
- This makes one drink with 7 net carbs.
Nutrition
- Serving: 1 drink (about 13 ounces)
- Calories: 159 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 7.3 g
- Protein: 0.6 g
- Fat: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 6.8 mg
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Sugar: 3.5 g
Details
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Servings: 1 drink (about 13 ounces)
- Calories: 159 kcal
- Keyword: cucumber cocktails, gin cocktails, keto cocktails, keto drinks
