Gimlet Cocktail

The Gimlet cocktail is a drink built with gin, lime juice, and sugar syrup!

Gimlet Cocktail Info

The classic Gimlet is a simple and refreshing drink. The cocktail is made with fresh lime juice, sugar, and gin. It's a gin-sour cocktail, which means it can be enjoyed alongside other well-known drinks, such as the Daiquiri, a rum-sour.

Although the origin of Gimlet is not known, it is believed that British sailors invented it in the late 18th-century. According to the legend, sailors needed citrus to prevent scurvy. The best way to get the sailors the vitamin C they needed was to make them drink it! This preventative drink is delicious, and it wasn't long before people realized it.

The drink was eventually published in cocktail books, including the 1930 classic "The Savoy Cocktail Book" written by Harry Craddock. It featured a variety of recipes, ingredients, and proportions. Although fresh lime juice is now the preferred choice, the Gimlet was made primarily with Rose's Lime Cordial. This bottled mix of sugar and lime juice first appeared in the 1860s. Rose's cordial can be used in place of simple syrup. The cordial already has sugar so aim for 1 ounce Rose's if you decide to use that instead.

You can also make the Gimlet with vodka. This was a common practice in the 1980s. But as gin gained popularity among drinkers, gin slowly regained its place in the Gimlet. Gin is a natural complement to lime. The spirit's botanical dryness adds structure and keeps the sugar under control.