Colin Cowie's Perfect Summer Cocktail

Try the entertaining guru's "Cucumber Chill" recipe on a gloriously hot day

By Alesandra Dubin May 24, 2013 7:30 PMTags
Colin Cowie Michael Buckner/Getty Images for American Express Publishing

You know what Memorial Day weekend means, right? It means the unofficial start to summer is here—time for beach days, barbecues, and impeccable alfresco cocktails, of course.

To get you going, entertaining guru (and Oprah Winfrey pal) Colin Cowie shared with us one of his all-time favorite drinks for the season. Try his recipe to kick your summer off just right.

To make Colin's "Cucumber Chill," cut a wheel of cucumbers into quarters, and muddle the pieces with a half ounce fresh lime juice in the bottom of a Boston glass. Add two ounces of vodka, three-quarters ounce St. Germain elderflower liquor or elderflower syrup and a quarter ounce of honey and shake well. Strain the cocktail into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with a thinly sliced cucumber. To make it extra fancy, slice it three times and fan it out before floating it atop the drink. Ahhhhhh.

That's Colin's perfect warm-weather refreshment. What's yours?