Gin, lime, and fresh cucumber muddled with the skin on, shaken hard and double strained. Pablo, a bartender in the Philippines, showed me how he made it — four ingredients, nothing to hide behind.
Bring the water to a boil, add the sugar, and stir until the liquid turns completely clear — that's how you know it has dissolved. Pour it into a bowl to cool, then keep it in the fridge.
This makes far more syrup than one drink needs. It keeps in the fridge for about two weeks.
Drop the cucumber slices into a shaker, skin and all, and press down until they break apart and turn translucent. You want the juice from the flesh and the aroma from the skin.
Leave the skin on. That's where most of the colour and the green, vegetal smell come from.
Pour the gin, simple syrup, and lime juice over the muddled cucumber. Fill the shaker with ice and shake until the outside frosts over and is too cold to keep hold of.
Shake harder and longer than feels necessary. The dilution from the ice is part of the drink, not a side effect.
Pour through the shaker's strainer and a fine mesh sieve together, into a chilled glass.
The second strain catches pulp and ice shards. That's what gives it the clean, silky texture.