Gin, shaken
Gimlet
Barline 2,Q,h,c
The code is the shorthand off my printed menu; the Key tab decodes every letter.
- 2 oz Gin
- 3/4 oz Lime juice
- 1/2 oz Simple syrup
Shake hard with ice, then strain.
Coupe.
Taste
Two ounces of gin against three-quarters of lime, so the lime is loud, then a half ounce of simple. Shaken, coupe. The lime is fresh and tart; the syrup is a thin coat of sugar, enough to take the edge. Juniper under citrus.
History
Lauchlan Rose of Edinburgh patented an alcohol-free lime cordial in 1867, the same year the Merchant Shipping Act required British ships to carry lime juice against scurvy. Officers mixing gin with Rose's is the navy story; a gimlet is also a barrel tap. The first named print is Harry MacElhone's 1922 Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails: equal parts Plymouth gin and Rose's, "a very popular beverage in the Navy." Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette is sometimes credited; his Times obituary does not mention the drink. Here it is two ounces of gin, three-quarters of fresh lime, and a half ounce of simple, coupe.
Same shape, other bottles
The Sour family, with the bottle that changed.
- Daiquirilight rum for gin
- Santiagolight rum and grenadine for gin and simple syrup
- The Rum Drinklight rum for gin
- Vodka Gimletvodka for gin
- Bee's Kneeslemon juice and honey syrup for lime juice and simple syrup
- Blinkerrye and grapefruit juice for gin and lime juice
This is one drink on my home bar's menu. Tick the bottles you own and the menu lists which of all 185 drinks they pour.