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Gimlet

Sours · Gin

Gimlet

Gin and lime, sharpened to a point

Gin, fresh lime and sugar, shaken hard and served up. Clean, zesty and bracing, it's essentially a gin Daiquiri, with juniper giving it a drier, more aromatic edge. A sharp aperitif for those who like their sours lean.

Make this in 3D
Glass
Coupe
Ice
Up (no ice)
Technique
Shaken · Double-strained
Difficulty
Intermediate
Time
3 min
Strength
≈ 22% ABV

Ingredients

Coupe
  • 60 mlLondon dry gin2 oz
  • 20 mlFresh lime juice¾ oz
  • 15 mlSimple syrup (1:1)½ oz
  • GarnishLime wheel

≈ 119 ml served · 2 standard drinks

Substitutes: Fresh lemon juice can stand in for Fresh lime juice. Rich demerara syrup (2:1) can stand in for Simple syrup (1:1).

Method

  1. 1

    Chill a coupe.

  2. 2

    Add the gin, lime juice and simple syrup to a shaker.

  3. 3

    Fill with ice and shake hard for 10–12 seconds.

  4. 4

    Double strain into the chilled coupe and garnish with a lime wheel, if you like.

Learn it step by step

History

The Gimlet is usually traced to British sailors. From 1867 the Merchant Shipping Act required British ships to carry lime juice against scurvy, and that same year Lauchlin Rose patented a way of preserving it with sugar rather than alcohol; mixed with gin, it became a naval officers' favourite. The name is often linked to the naval surgeon Sir Thomas Gimlette, or to the gimlet, a small boring tool, but neither story is proven.

Bartender's notes

  • This is the modern fresh-lime Gimlet. The original paired gin with sweetened, preserved lime cordial – for that style, use 60 ml gin and 15–20 ml lime cordial and skip the juice and syrup.
  • Vodka makes a softer Vodka Gimlet; a navy-strength gin makes it bolder.
CitrusSourHerbalRefreshing

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