Cocktail | |
---|---|
Type | Cocktail |
Base spirit | |
Served | Straight up: chilled, without ice |
Standard garnish | Lime |
Standard drinkware | Cocktail glass |
Commonly used ingredients | |
Preparation | Mix and serve. Garnish with a slice of lime |
The gimlet ( /ˈɡɪmlət/) is a cocktail made of gin and lime cordial. A 1928 description of the drink was: gin, and a spot of lime. [1] A description in the 1953 Raymond Chandler novel The Long Goodbye stated that "a real gimlet is half gin and half Rose's lime juice and nothing else." [2] This is in line with the proportions suggested by The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), which specifies one half gin and one half lime juice. [3] However, modern tastes are less sweet, and generally provide for up to four parts gin to one part lime cordial. [4]
The word "gimlet" used in this sense is first attested in 1928. The most obvious derivation is from the tool for drilling small holes, a word also used figuratively to describe something as sharp or piercing. Thus, the cocktail may have been named for its "penetrating" effects on the drinker. [5]
Another theory is that the drink was named after the Royal Navy surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette (27 November 1857 [6] – 4 October 1943 [7]), who allegedly introduced this drink as a means of inducing his messmates to take lime juice as an anti- scurvy medication. [8] However, this association is not mentioned in his obituary notice in the BMJ, [9] The Times (6 October 1943), or his entry in Who Was Who 1941–1950.
A variant of the cocktail, the vodka gimlet, replaces gin with vodka. The Schumann's Gimlet adds lemon juice and lime juice to the Gin. [10] The Pimmlet substitutes 2 parts Pimm's No. 1 Cup to 1 part London Dry Gin.[ citation needed]
A popular variation, the French gimlet, includes elderflower liqueur. [11]
Cocktail | |
---|---|
Type | Cocktail |
Base spirit | |
Served | Straight up: chilled, without ice |
Standard garnish | Lime |
Standard drinkware | Cocktail glass |
Commonly used ingredients | |
Preparation | Mix and serve. Garnish with a slice of lime |
The gimlet ( /ˈɡɪmlət/) is a cocktail made of gin and lime cordial. A 1928 description of the drink was: gin, and a spot of lime. [1] A description in the 1953 Raymond Chandler novel The Long Goodbye stated that "a real gimlet is half gin and half Rose's lime juice and nothing else." [2] This is in line with the proportions suggested by The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), which specifies one half gin and one half lime juice. [3] However, modern tastes are less sweet, and generally provide for up to four parts gin to one part lime cordial. [4]
The word "gimlet" used in this sense is first attested in 1928. The most obvious derivation is from the tool for drilling small holes, a word also used figuratively to describe something as sharp or piercing. Thus, the cocktail may have been named for its "penetrating" effects on the drinker. [5]
Another theory is that the drink was named after the Royal Navy surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette (27 November 1857 [6] – 4 October 1943 [7]), who allegedly introduced this drink as a means of inducing his messmates to take lime juice as an anti- scurvy medication. [8] However, this association is not mentioned in his obituary notice in the BMJ, [9] The Times (6 October 1943), or his entry in Who Was Who 1941–1950.
A variant of the cocktail, the vodka gimlet, replaces gin with vodka. The Schumann's Gimlet adds lemon juice and lime juice to the Gin. [10] The Pimmlet substitutes 2 parts Pimm's No. 1 Cup to 1 part London Dry Gin.[ citation needed]
A popular variation, the French gimlet, includes elderflower liqueur. [11]