In the LeoFinance community, we have an initiative called Leo Market Talk (
A few weeks ago I started a little tradition on said chat which I'm calling Cocktail Friday. I basically wrap up things at work, fix myself a nice cocktail and enjoy it while interacting with people on our daily chat. At the request of fellow Leo Market Talk regular 
But first, a brief story
Since this is the first #CocktailFriday post, I thought I'd share the story of how I got interested in mixology.
Some years ago, while I was in university, I decided to get a part-time job to help pay for those expensive engineering books and maybe a beer or two as well. After looking around for a bit I found this bartending gig and I thought it would be a piece of cake so I took it.
As it turned out, I was wrong. There is a lot more to bartending than meet the eye, depending on what kind of place you work at. It took me a while to learn all the stuff that the head bartender wanted me to but when I finally did, it turned out to be a great side gig. I got to meet a lot of cool people and there was a LOT of free booze after closing time.
Eventually, university started to demand more of my time and I also got an internship so I had to quit my job at the bar but mixology turned into a hobby that I still very much enjoy and so I try to explore new recipes and techniques every chance I get.
Ok, now you know how I got into bartending and mixology, let's get to what matters. The first cocktail of #CocktailFriday is...
Cucumber Gin Smash
This is a very refreshing cocktail and it's quite simple to make. I find it perfect for a warm afternoon but it really goes well in most situations. Here's what you need:
Ingredients
- A few basil leaves
- Some cucumber slices
- 2 ounces of gin
- 1 ounce of simple syrup
- Club Soda
Instructions
Place the basil leaves and the cucumber slices on a shaker and gently muddle them.
Then, add the gin, the syrup and ice. Give it a good shake, strain it to a short glass with ice and top it off with the Club Soda.
If you want, you can use a couple of cucumber slices as garnish. Also, if you want to make it even more refreshing, you can add maybe half an ounce of lemon juice but it also tastes great without it, if you are a gin person.
And you're done! Easy eh?
This is it for the first #CocktailFriday post. I hope you enjoyed it and see you next week! Cheers!