Pimm's Cup: The Solution to the Cucumber Cache

The CSA has started giving us cucumbers, and while I think the little guys are cool, I often have a hard time eating them. Since they aren't very good for cooking, they often just get thrown on top of a salad or are left to rot. I had one cucumber in particular that was heading down the latter path. Fortunately I also had a half-zested lemon that was on the verge of dying, so I decided to make Pimm's cups.  Pimm's #1 is a liquor that was invented in the early-mid 1800's in London as a digestif, but has not become popular as the staple ingredient in a Pimm's Cup. At one point there were 6 different types of liquors, but as far as I know only the first is still available. It's a great summer drink and as a bonus, it's relatively cheap (I paid about $15 for the Pimm's #1). I haven't found an official recipe, so I just decided to wing it. Here's what I did:

Pimm's Cup
1. Place a few cucumber slices in the bottom of a tall (e.g. collins) glass and fill with ice.
2. Add one shot of Pimm's #1
3. Add about 2 tsp. simple syrup (2 pts. sugar to 1 pt. water, brought to a boil and cooled) and 4-8 tsp. lemon juice (both to taste).
4. Fill remainder of glass with club soda. Use a spoon to mix it and add several more slices of cucumber to garnish.

If you don't feel like measuring so much, I found that a half shot of simple syrup and a full shot of lemon juice was best. This drink was great because it not only killed off the cucumber and the lemon, but it used the simple syrup that my roommate had just made (and yes, it was made from decayed sugar cubes). Plus, it tasted good!

The offensive cucumber and lemon. Both partially used and left to die.

 My roommate was very excited to make simple syrup out of his old and broken sugar cubes.