When it comes to gin co*cktails, there’s no debating the appeal of the classic gin and tonic. It’s crisp, refreshing, and perfect for a summer day (or literally any other time of year). But if your gin-based co*cktail enjoyment doesn’t go past that popular co*cktail, you’re really missing out on a world of floral, botanical, fresh mixed drinks. Especially the delicious, flavorful gin gimlet.
Contents
Gin gimlet
Gin gimlet history
The gimlet debate
Ingredients matter
While we’re on the gin and tonic bandwagon from way back, we also love the simple, elegant gin gimlet. This herbaceous, piney, juniper, tart lime, and absolute refresher of a mixed drink is one of our favorites all year long from the breezy heat of summer to the frigid frost of winter.
One of the most basic gin-based co*cktails to prepare, in its bare bones form, the drink consists of only two parts: gin and lime cordial (the official recipe calls for Rose’s Lime Juice). It’s mostly gin with a little lime juice and is a fresh, light, tart, boozy drink that deserves to be in your co*cktail rotation. Also, if you’re a fan of daiquiris, there’s an alternative version of the drink that consists of gin (instead of white rum), simple syrup, and lime juice.
Shake vigorously, strain into a co*cktail glass, and garnish with a lime wheel.
Gin gimlet history
Like many classic co*cktails (especially gin-based drinks), the gin gimlet is British through and through. The popular sweetened lime juice used in most recipes (Rose’s) is made in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was created in the late 1800s as a way to preserve citrus juice. He opted to preserve it with sugar instead of alcohol to create a bigger appeal for the product.
How to make chai tea: Tasty recipes for a homemade delight
How to grill corn on the cob: The tips, tricks, and recipes you need
It is said that the co*cktail was invented by a British Royal Navy Rear-Admiral named Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette. Not surprisingly, scurvy was rampant among the Royal Navy in the late 1800s. Navy doctors prescribed lime juice so sailors would get enough vitamin C. But lime juice on its own is quite tart and bitter. Gimlette, it’s believed, suggested that the officers get their daily ration of gin (lower-ranking sailors got a ration of rum instead) and combine it with the lime juice to make it more palatable.
Others believe the drink was actually named for the gimlet, a tool used to drill some holes in wood, often found on ships. Like with all co*cktails, it’s difficult to prove fact from fiction. It’s not fiction, though, that the first record of the drink was in 1923 when bartender Harry MacElhone of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris published the recipe. It consisted of Plymouth gin and Rose’s Lime Juice.
The gimlet debate
If you ask bartenders and peruse gin gimlet recipes online, you might notice that while some people prefer using sweetened lime juice, others prefer fresh lime juice and simple syrup (similar to a daiquiri but with gin instead of white rum). Some believe that the use of simple syrup and lime juice gives the drink a different, sweeter taste while the sweetened lime juice gives it the sweet, tart bite that drinkers prefer. We suggest ending the debate in your own home by mixing up both versions.
Ingredients matter
Just understand that, when it comes to a drink like the gimlet, paying attention to the recipe is important. Even though it’s simple, one misstep makes for a very unpalatable drink. We’re talking, of course, about lime juice. Be sure it’s sweetened. Otherwise, you’re in for a boozy, tart drink you might not enjoy all that much.
If you’re not about the store-bought lime cordials, you can also make your own. If you’re opting for the alternate version, simple syrup and fresh lime juice guarantee a sweet, citrus-driven drink. Just make sure you squeeze your juice out of an actual lime and not a tiny lime-shaped bottle.
Editors' Recommendations
How to order a Martini like you know what you’re doing
How to master the perfect ribeye steak: Tips, tricks (and a delicious recipe)
How to cook rice perfectly every time, no matter how you choose to make it
How to cook lobster the right way — boiling, grilling, and roasting
You should know how to make these incredible sauces
The best gin for gimlets comes down to your personal preference, but popular options for gimlet recipes include affable Bombay Sapphire, reliable Hendrick's, and Bluecoat, an American-made gin named for the Bluecoat revolutionaries who pushed back Redcoat British during the War of Independence.
If you happen to be new to this drink, a classic gimlet is traditionally made with gin, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. It's quick and easy to mix in a co*cktail shaker or mason jar with ice, and then it is traditionally served with a slice of lime. So simple!
The main difference is that a gimlet is additionally sweetened with simple syrup, and the unsweetened gin rickey is finished off with a pour of club soda.
The classic Gimlet co*cktail is a three-ingredient masterclass in simplicity and balance. Composed only of gin, lime juice, and sugar, it helped pave the way for countless co*cktails to follow, from the Margarita to the Daiquiri and the Sidecar.
My personal favorite gins for co*cktails are Bully Boy's Estate Gin & Short Path Distillery's London Dry Gin, both local to me in Massachusetts! Both lend themselves to mixing in a co*cktail without overpowering other flavors, whether it's a Dirty Martini (my fave), or a more complex co*cktail.
The Gimlet is classically stirred but once you've added fresh citrus juice (unless you've clarified your juice) even if stirred this co*cktail won't be perfectly clear. So do as Harry Craddock directs in his 1930 Savoy co*cktail Book and use some elbow grease to shake and invigorate this upper deck's co*cktail.
While both co*cktails are gin-based, the Gimlet uses lime juice for a citrus addition, while the Tom Collins requires lemon juice. Furthermore, the Tom Collins is sweetened with a touch of simple syrup and topped off with soda water.
Gimlets are a wonderful co*cktail to drink, if not to aid in the creation of a personna. The combination of gin, lime juice, and sugar is very accessible, so you should be able to order some version of a gimlet at nearly any bar.
Both gin and vodka are made from neutral spirits (which can be distilled from grains, grapes, sugar beets, or molasses, among others). Unlike vodka, when making gin, that neutral spirit is infused with botanicals (a fancy word for dried herbs, berries, roots, citrus peels, and spices) and generally redistilled.
Bruised: When a co*cktail or martini has be over shaken and pieces of ice and oxygen bubble forms. This results in a cloudy or murky looking co*cktail.
Juniper berries are the backbone of gin. Juniper should be the dominant flavor and it gives the drink its fresh, piney character, as well as some of its dryness. Most gins are also flavored by three other ingredients: coriander seeds, a root, and citrus peel.
It has enough character to guarantee some personality to even a sour. But a crisp, dry London-style gin like Tanqueray, Beefeater, or Gordon's also make for good choices. Save your more delicate or aromatic gins, like Hendrick's, for spare co*cktails like a Martini, where those subtleties can be appreciated.
The Tom Collins is perhaps the ultimate highball and one of history's most enduring co*cktails. It was historically made with Old Tom gin, which is sweeter than London dry gin, but the drink works well with both types of the spirit. (Old Tom only recently became available again, thanks to the clamoring of mixologists.)
Address: Suite 369 9754 Roberts Pines, West Benitaburgh, NM 69180-7958
Phone: +522993866487
Job: Sales Executive
Hobby: Worldbuilding, Shopping, Quilting, Cooking, Homebrewing, Leather crafting, Pet
Introduction: My name is Golda Nolan II, I am a thoughtful, clever, cute, jolly, brave, powerful, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
