This white linen cocktail is perfect for summer! Crisp, clean flavors paired with cucumber, fresh lemon, and a hint of floral make this summer sipper one of our favorites! Non-alcohol adaptable.
Created by bartender Rene Dominguez in the early 2000s at the Shady Lady Saloon in Sacramento, the White Linen Cocktail has quickly gained popularity—and we completely understand why. It is refreshing and cooling and goes down so easily! It is made with gin, cucumber, lemon juice, soda water, and Elderflower Liqueur.
White Linen Ingredients
- Gin– A dry herbal gin works nicely here. Feel free to sub-vodka or non-alcohol Seedlip “Garden” flavor.
- St. Germain (Elderflower Liqueur) a floral flavored liquor that truly makes the drink! If going alcohol-free, see out elderflower syrup and skip the simple syrup.
- English cucumber (or sub-Turkish or Persian cucumbers) for muddling and garnish.
- Fresh Lemon Juice– to add brightness
- Optional – Simple syrup or honey simple syrup
- Optional Garnishes- cucumber, mint, and white jasmine- or sub other white flowers.
White linen cocktail Instructions
Step one: Using a mandolin or cheese slicer, slice the cucumber vertically, creating long thin ribbons. You’ll need one ribbon per glass for garnish. Set these aside.
Step two: Place ½ cup cucumber slices (these can be the scraps) into a shaker and muddle with the gin. For more flavor, refrigerate up to 3 days.
Add the lemon juice, St. Germain and simple syrup and a handful of ice and shake well.
Step Three: Place a cucumber ribbon in each glass, sticking it to the side of the glass. Fill the glasses with ice.
Step four: Pour the cocktail over the ice glass and divide it among two glasses. Top with a splash of sparkling water (1-2 ounces).
Step five: Garnish with cucumber, mint, and white white jasmine.
Tips
- Pre-make a pitcher! Quadruple the recipe, strain it, and place it all in a pitcher without the soda water. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Add the soda water when serving.
- Frosty Glasses! Place glasses with the cucumber ribbon in the freezer for ½ hour before serving for frosty cold glasses.
- Extra cucumber flavor! Muddle the cucumber with the gin and store it in the fridge overnight or up to 3 days.
- If you like mint– add a few leaves when muddling the cucumber.
- Non-alcoholic – to make this alcohol-free, seek out Elderflower syrup and Seedlip “garden”. Muddle cucumber with Seedlip, add lemon juice and elderflower syrup to taste. top with sparkling water.
More summer cocktails
White Linen Cocktail
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2
- Category: drinks, cocktails, summer cocktails
- Method: shaken
- Cuisine: American
Description
A refreshing white linen cocktail made with gin, cucumber, lemon juice, soda water and Elderflower Liqueur. Crisp, clean flavors make this summer cocktail one of our favorites!
Ingredients
- 3 ounces dry Gin ( or sub vodka or non-alcohol Seedlip “garden” flavor)
- 1 English cucumber (or sub Turkish or Persian cucumbers)
- 2 ounces fresh lemon juice
- 1 ounce St Germain (Elderflower Liqueur) See notes for non-alcohol
- 1/2 ounce – 1 ounce simple syrup or honey simple syrup ( start conservatively; you may not need any!)
- 3–4 ounces of sparkling water or soda water
- Optional garnishes- cucumber, mint, and white jasmine.
Instructions
- Using a mandolin or cheese slicer, slice the cucumber vertically, creating long thin ribbons. You’ll need one ribbon per glass for garnish. Set these aside.
- Place ½ cup cucumber slices (these can be the scraps) into a shaker and muddle with the gin. Add the lemon juice, St. Germain and simple syrup and a handful of ice and shake well.
- Place a cucumber ribbon in each glass, sticking it to the side of the glass. Fill the glasses with ice. Pour the cocktail over the ice glass and divide it among two glasses.
- Top with a splash of sparkling water (1-2 ounces).
- Garnish with cucumber, mint, and white white jasmine.
Notes
Tip: if making these ahead, place the cucumber ribbons in the glasses and freeze or chill until ready to serve.
Non-alcohol: Substitute the gin with non-alcohol Seedlip in their Garden flavor. Seek out elderflower simple syrup. Muddle cucumber with the seed lip, add lemon juice and elderflower syrup to taste, pour over ice, and top with a splash of sparkling water. The Seedlip really adds a lot of flavor here!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ½ ounces
- Calories: 177
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 2.5 mg
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.3 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 0.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
New favorite summer cocktail! I also made the non – alcoholic version for my wife and she loved it too.
Oh perfect Bill!
This was so refreshing and delicious! Will make a pitcher next time 🙂 Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed Kate!🥂
This sounds really good! I make something really similar with gin, lemon and St. Germain so this will likely be very good as well. In my version I use either Bombay sapphire or Empress Indigo gin (for a little color) and then instead of cucumber/regular simple syrup I make a lavender cardamom simple syrup and forgo the extra soda water. Sometimes garnish with a berry if I have them
Oh my goodness, that sounds amazing!
Oooh, I’ve had something very similar made with Hendricks gin (for the cucumber flavor) and lemongrass simple syrup. I assume this is equally divine, and easier to make. Thanks for sharing!
We love it! Let us know what you think.
Any ideas on how to make alcohol free? Looks so good!
Hi Amy! Yes, super easy! I added notes to the post and recipe card. Track down Seedlip (Garden flavor) and elderflower syrup and you’ll have a lovely non-alcoholic cocktail!
I am trying to figure out how to make this non alcoholic. Elderberry syrup maybe substitute for the liquor and more sparkling water in the place of the gin? Feedback welcome!
Hi Amelia- I added notes to the post and to the recipe card. Yes, very easy! You could use elderflower simple syurup (to taste) and more sparkling water instead of gin, but if you can find Seedlip (Garden flavor) it is totally worth it.
Sounds delicious! Could this be made with another liquor perhaps vodka?
Yes Kellie, I think vodka would work in a pinch! Gin really gives this a tasty herbaceousness!