Crisp juniper, sharp lime and just enough sugar to round the edges. Shaken until painfully cold and served in a small coupe, the Gimlet is one of the purest ways to taste a good gin.
2 oz
London dry gine.g. Tanqueray · Gordon's · Beefeater · Bombay Sapphire · Sipsmith
¾ oz
lime juice freshly squeezed
½ oz
simple syrup
Garnish: Lime wheel · Ice: Served up, no ice
Gimlet
Tart, bright lime and juniper with a clean, slightly sweet finish. Strong, cold and refreshing.
The Gimlet grew out of the British Royal Navy, where lime juice was issued to prevent scurvy. In 1867 the Scottish merchant Lauchlan Rose patented a method for preserving lime juice with sugar rather than alcohol, and Rose's lime cordial became the classic partner for gin.
The origin of the name is uncertain. One popular story credits a naval surgeon named Gimlette, another points to the gimlet, a small tool for boring holes in casks. Early recipes from the 1920s mix gin and lime cordial, often in equal parts, and Raymond Chandler's novel The Long Goodbye famously has a character call for half gin and half Rose's. Modern bars mostly use fresh lime juice and sugar syrup.
Both are correct. The historic Gimlet uses cordial; most modern bars use fresh lime juice and syrup.
It is disputed. A naval surgeon named Gimlette and the gimlet tool are the two common explanations.
With fresh juice, shake it. The cordial version can also be stirred.
The perfect sound
Crisp, sharp and naval clean.
Reader rating
Thanks for rating
Updated:
