I’m going to pretend that this is the beginning of a new segment of my blog, but who knows, maybe this will be the one and only post. In any case, this cocktail is far too fabulous NOT to share with the world!

The Juliet & Romeo. It’s light, refreshing, and deceptively strong. Similar to a mojito, but in my opinion, far more complex and superior.

I first tried this cocktail in Chicago’s Violet Hour. Apparently, the Juliet & Romeo is the one drink that is never taken off their seasonally rotating menu. The description caught my eye right away: Beefeater, Mint, Cucumber, and Rose Water. It was love at first sip.

I immediately began to Google the recipe, and what do you know – The Violet Hour itself shared the recipe, at least that’s what it claims on tablespoon.com. Here it is:

Ingredients

  • 3 slices fresh cucumber
  • 3 sprigs fresh mint
  • tiny pinch of salt
  • 2 oz Beefeater gin
  • 3/4 oz simple syrup
  • 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
  • 3 drops rose water
  • 3 drops Angustora bitters
  • mint leaf, additional rose water and bitters, for garnish if desired

Recipe

  1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle cucumber and mint with the pinch of salt. (Crush with the back of a spoon if you don’t have a muddler!)
  2. Add rest of ingredients to cocktail shaker. Let sit for 30 seconds.
  3. Add ice, shake vigorously and strain into serving glass.
  4. Garnish with a mint leaf – place one drop of rosewater on the mint leaf and three drops of bitters on surface of the drink if desired.

I’ve now made this drink 5 or 6 times, so if I have any advice – it’s this: use more like 1/2-1 tsp of rose water and strain the cocktail as you pour it from the shaker (otherwise you get a few cucumber seeds, which are fine, but it’s much smoother and prettier strained). So there you have it.

Oh, and remember how I said this drink was deceptively strong? Well, it is. There’s no harsh alcohol flavor. But, Beefeater is 47% alcohol – so after two shots worth of that, you should be feeling pretty good.

It’s also worth noting that GQ has rated this cocktail as one of the Top 20 Cocktails in America.

Enjoy!