Beauty Elixir

MAKES 1 or 4 COCKTAILS

Makes 4 cocktails

Gin brings its herbaceous flavor to this pink drink, a favorite at Beauty & Essex, one of my restaurants on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. If you are looking for the perfect drink for a Sunday ladies’ brunch, look no further than this fruit-forward drink splashed with a bit of bubbly.

2 (¼-inch) slices Kirby cucumber, unpeeled, plus more for garnish

¾ ounce (1½ tablespoons) strawberry puree (see Note)

1½ ounces London dry gin

¼ ounce fresh lemon juice

¼ ounce Lemon Simple Syrup (here)

½ ounce rosé sparkling wine or Champagne, as needed

Muddle the cucumber and strawberry puree well in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and the gin, lemon juice, and lemon syrup; shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with the sparkling wine. Garnish with a cucumber slice and serve.

Party-Sized Beauty Elixir: Pulse 8 slices cucumber and 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) strawberry puree in a blender to mince them. Add 6 ounces (¾ cup) gin, 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice, and 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) lemon syrup and pulse just to combine. Strain the gin mixture through a wire sieve into a small pitcher. (The mixture can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 3 hours.) For each drink, pour about 3 ounces (a generous ⅓ cup) into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Strain into a martini glass, top with the sparkling wine, and garnish with a cucumber slice.

Note: To make strawberry puree, process hulled strawberries as needed (3 large strawberries make about 1½ tablespoons puree) in a mini–food processor until smooth.

Makes about 30 chips (10 chips of each fruit)

When I throw a party, I try to make every single element a bit more special than my guests expect. This even includes the citrus garnishes for my cocktails. Yes, you can cut round slices (sometimes called wheels) from lemons, limes, and oranges to perch on the edge of your glass. But, with a little extra effort, you can candy and then dry them to create dried citrus chips. You can make more than one kind of fruit at a time, and they keep for months.

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 navel orange, ends discarded, cut into ⅛-inch rounds

1 large lemon, ends discarded, cut into ⅛-inch rounds

1 large lime, ends discarded, cut into ⅛-inch rounds

1. Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Boil for 2 minutes. Let cool until warm.

2. Place the orange, lemon, and lime slices in separate small bowls (such as cereal bowls). Pour enough syrup over each fruit to cover it well. Let the fruit soak for 30 minutes.

3. Position racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat to 200°F. (If you have a convection oven, use the convection bake setting and reduce the temperature to 175°F.) Line large rimmed baking sheets with wire cake racks.

4. Drain each fruit well and arrange the rounds in separate groupings on the racks. Bake, flipping the rounds over after 30 minutes, until they are firm, about 1 hour total. The large orange rounds may take about 20 minutes longer. If possible, let the chips cool completely in the turned-off oven overnight. (The chips can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 3 months.)