How to Make The Perfect Gimlet Mocktail

Prep time: 3 minutes

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1.5 ounces Seedlip Garden 108 or Lyre’s Dry London Spirit
0.5 ounces cold-brewed green tea (strong)
0.8 ounces fresh lime juice
0.8 ounces simple syrup
3 thin cucumber slices (muddled)
0.3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Chill your coupe: Place a coupe in the freezer.

2. Muddle cucumber: Add 3 thin cucumber slices (muddled) to the shaker and muddle gently — press and twist twice, don’t pulverize.

3. Add remaining ingredients: Add ice, then 1.5 ounces Seedlip Garden 108 or Lyre’s Dry London Spirit, 0.5 ounces cold-brewed green tea (strong), 0.8 ounces fresh lime juice, 0.8 ounces simple syrup, and 0.3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar.

4. Shake: Shake hard for 15–17 seconds 00:17.

5. Double-strain: Double-strain into your chilled coupe to remove all cucumber pieces.

6. Garnish: A thin cucumber wheel or lime wheel on the rim.

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Notes

Replacing gin’s botanicals: Gin is essentially neutral spirit infused with juniper and botanicals. Seedlip Garden 108 is the closest non-alcoholic equivalent, it’s built from herbs and is genuinely complex. Lyre’s Dry London Spirit is a good second option.

Green tea: Cold-brewed green tea adds a slightly bitter, grassy quality that reinforces the botanical character. Steep 1 bag in cold water for 4–6 hours; don’t hot-brew or it turns astringent.

Cucumber: A classic gin pairing, muddling a few thin slices into the shaker adds freshness and a vegetal brightness that complements the herbal spirit alternative beautifully.

Apple cider vinegar: The same small amount as the other mocktails, just enough to sharpen the whole thing and add what alcohol would normally provide.