Making a syrup with hibiscus flowers creates a cocktail sweetener with a brilliant color, which in this drink contrasts nicely with fresh green cucumber. (The Roman Emperor Tiberius was reportedly such a lover of cucumbers that greenhouses were built to provide them for his table year-round, hence the name of the drink.) I originally created this to pair with Beefeater’s Summer Edition gin, which includes elderflower, hibiscus, and black currants among its botanicals, but any good gin will work.

Steps

1. Muddle the first slice cucumber and add the gin, lemon juice, and hibiscus syrup. Shake with ice and fine-strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Top with soda water, garnish with the remaining cucumber slices, and stir.