The cocktail scene is known for its creativity as well as its individuality. Mixologists or bartenders might talk about building a drink on one ingredient, however they also leave the door open to that single element being substituted or swopped out to create something quite different – but no less delicious.

The Irish Maid is precisely that: a cocktail built on the foundation of another – in this case the Kentucky Maid.

Quite simply, the Irish Maid is a whiskey-based drink with lemon or lime juice, simple or sugar syrup, elderflower liqueur and muddled cucumber. The origin of this branch of the cocktail tree, the Kentucky Maid, varies only slightly in that it is bourbon-based and also uses mint leaves, somewhat reminiscent of a mint julep.

Records reflect that the Kentucky Maid was developed in about 2005 by Sam Ross, a legendarily innovative bartender at New York’s famous Milk & Honey bar. By all accounts Ross loved using fresh ingredients in his drinks so whenever he played around developing something new, he used what was in season at the time. Bourbon provided the inspirational liquor or spirit base, muddled mint leaves added the Kentucky julep note, along with the basic sugar syrup with the tart acidic zing of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice to counteract the sweetness. The use of cucumber when muddling the mint leaves added an overall freshness to the drink as well.

(Coincidentally, Ross was also the creator of the Penicillin cocktail which was chronicled in the March issue of CHEERS this year, featuring smoky peated whisky with lemon juice and a honey-ginger syrup to balance.)

That kickstarted the switch and swop Maid cocktails, Liquor.com reported. Substitute the bourbon for gin and voila! The London Maid. Replace either of those with Irish whiskey and introduce a dash of elderflower liqueur and the Irish Maid emerges. Credit for this particular switch is given to Jack McGarry of New York cocktail establishment, The Dead Rabbit.

The website states that it “is similar to a Whiskey Smash, which calls for muddling lemon wedges in a shaker before combining the remaining ingredients: whiskey, sugar and mint. The Irish Maid, though, calls for muddling cucumber slices to release their fresh juices before shaking the remaining ingredients — elderflower liqueur, citrus and simple syrup — with ice and straining the contents into a rocks glass.”

Refreshing and bright because of the vibrant citrus, the Irish Maid is great as a braai or picnic drink – and is thus ideal for summertime.