Cucumber Martini Made with Vodka

By
Molly Watson
Molly Watson
An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients.
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Updated on 02/22/24
Tested by Joan Velush
Cucumber martini recipe made with vodka in a martini glass on a marble counter

The Spruce /Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 5 ounces

This cucumber martini is cool and refreshing and bursting with the taste of cucumbers. To make it, fresh, crisp cucumbers are muddled before being shaken with vodka (or gin, if you prefer) and vermouth, allowing for the mild melon-like flavors of the cucumber to come through and complement the liquor beautifully.

This recipe is for a single cocktail but is easy enough to double or triple—it all depends on how big your cocktail shaker is. It is better, however, to mix up less at a time than try to make one giant batch where the ingredients won't get properly shaken.

Is a Vodka Martini Really a Martini?

The original martini recipe is made with gin, not vodka, and martini purists say a vodka "martini" is not a true martini. Vodka offers a smoother taste while gin brings botanical flavor and complexity to a martini. Whether you make this cocktail with gin or vodka and whether you call it a martini or not, it's still delicious—and isn't that the most important thing?

How to Cut and Muddle Cucumbers for a Martini

It's easy to cut cucumbers for martinis. There's no need to peel them—just cut them into slices using a sharp knife. For one cocktail, you'll need three thick slices for muddling and a few thin slices for garnish. The next step after slicing the cucumbers is muddling them, which releases the cucumber's juices and flavor. To muddle the cucumber, use a muddler or a wooden spoon to press down and crush the cucumber slices, giving the muddler or spoon a half turn with each press downwards.

Tips for a Delicious Cucumber Martini

  • Mix up the cukes—Common garden cucumbers or hothouse cucumbers are perfectly fine in this cocktail, but if you have another type of cucumber on hand, this is a great place to use them and appreciate their slightly different flavors. Lemon cucumbers, in particular, are a fun choice. 
  • Add even more cucumber flavor—To give this cocktail an extra dose of cucumber, you can make a batch of cucumber vodka ahead of time and use it in place of the plain vodka. There are also store-bought cucumber vodkas available if you're not into DIY-ing it.
  • How to make this cocktail even if you don't have a shaker—If you don't have a cocktail shaker, you can use a jar with a screw-top lid.
What You'll Need to Make This Cucumber Martini Recipe
A Good Cocktail Shaker
A Sturdy Muddler
A Great Cocktail Jigger

“Muddling the cucumber slices in the cocktail shaker before adding the vodka and vermouth really adds a touch of freshness and seasonality to a simple martini. This cocktail is fresh, crisp, and delicious.” —Joan Velush

Cucumber Martini/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 3 thick slices cucumber, plus thin slices for garnish

  • 2 1/2 ounces vodka or gin

  • 1/2 ounce dry vermouth

  • 1 cup ice

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    ingredients to make cucumber martini with vodka

    The Spruce/ Julia Hartbeck

  2. Put 3 thick cucumber slices in a cocktail shaker. Use a muddler or a wooden spoon to muddle, or crush, the cucumber slices a bit to bring out more of their flavor.

    glass with cucumbers and a muddler

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Pour in 2 1/2 ounces vodka and 1/2 ounce dry vermouth.

    muddled cucumbers and vodka in a glass

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Swirl just a bit to combine, then add 1 cup ice.

    ice, vodka, and cucumbers in glass

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Put the top on the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds. (It's important that you shake for this length of time.) This not only mixes the ingredients but also melts some of the ice into the cocktail to soften its edges and blend the flavors.

    cocktail glass with shaker on top

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Strain the mixture into a martini glass.

    martini poured into a martini glass

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Garnish with a few thin slices of fresh cucumber and serve.

    cucumber martini recipe made with vodka

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Add a little pepper—Add a grind or two of freshly ground black pepper; it adds a lovely bit of heat to the cool cucumber, as well as a floral note to the final cocktail.
  • Add a nice herbal touch—Include a few fresh green herbs in the shaker. Consider mint, thyme, or basil; chervil is an unexpected twist, and dill, if used sparingly, is tasty, too.
  • Brighten it up with citrus—Citrus and cucumber go very well together; add a twist of lemon or lime along with the thin cucumber slices.

How Strong is the Cucumber Martini?

Like all martinis, these pack a punch. With an 80-proof vodka and a typical dry vermouth, this one mixes up to about 28 percent ABV (56 proof). That means two martinis are stronger than a straight shot of vodka, so take it slow and think before mixing up the next one.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
209 Calories
0g Fat
8g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 209
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 14mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 5mg 23%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 259mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)