Tea-colored and packed with fruit, cucumber and mint, it looks more like a salad than a cocktail. The flavor is spiced, bitter-orange and fruity, lifted by ginger and lemon, and the alcohol stays low enough for a long afternoon outdoors.
4.1Editors’ rating
Taste4.2
Balance4.1
Easy to make4.6
Popularity65
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Garnish: Cucumber slice, mint sprig and strawberry · Ice: Ice cubes
Method
Fill a highball glass with ice cubes, layering in slices of cucumber and a halved strawberry.
Add the Pimm's and lemon juice.
Top with ginger ale and stir briefly.
Garnish with a cucumber slice, a mint sprig and a strawberry; add lemon or orange slices if you like.
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Pimm's Cup
Taste
Fruity and gently bitter with orange, spice and herbs, brightened by lemon and ginger and freshened by cucumber and mint. Light and easy.
History and origin
Pimm's goes back to James Pimm, who ran an oyster bar in the City of London in the 19th century and served a gin-based drink flavored with herbs, spices and liqueur, sold as a digestif in small tankards called cups. Pimm's No. 1 Cup, the gin-based version, is the one that survives today, while other numbered versions based on different spirits have mostly disappeared.
The Pimm's Cup as a long drink, lengthened with lemonade or ginger ale and filled with fruit, cucumber and mint, became a fixture of the British summer and is famously served at Wimbledon and at regattas. It also found a second home in New Orleans, where the Napoleon House bar has long been known for its version.
Bartender tips
In Britain the drink is usually topped with lemonade, a clear, lemon-lime soda; ginger ale gives it more spice.
Cucumber is the essential garnish: it adds a cool, fresh aroma that defines the drink.
For a jug, use one part Pimm's to three parts mixer and add the fruit and mint generously.
Variations
Pimm's Royale
Top with dry sparkling wine instead of ginger ale.
New Orleans Pimm's Cup
The Napoleon House style: Pimm's, lemon, a little sugar and lemon-lime soda, with cucumber.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pimm's?
A gin-based liqueur flavored with herbs, spices and fruit, bottled as Pimm's No. 1 Cup.
Ginger ale or lemonade?
Both are traditional. British-style lemonade makes it lighter and fruitier; ginger ale spicier.
Is a Pimm's Cup strong?
No. Pimm's No. 1 is lower in alcohol than gin, and the drink is lengthened with a mixer.
