Directions
Gimlet is a fairly recent cocktail, born in 1900 by the hand of the legendary Sir Thomas Gimelette, hence the name of the cocktail. Its composition is very simple: 5 parts of gin, one of lime juice and a drop of sugar syrup to round. You should use lime cordial, a simple shrub made with lime, sugar and a little gin, but unless you want to do it yourself, it’s best to rely on ready-to-use lime cordials for the first few times. If you can’t find it, you can make a simple lime syrup, mixing lime juice, syrup and peel in equal parts and then flavoring with a drop of gin.
Just as the Gin and tonic, it was born with medicinal functions, that is, the good Doctor Gimelette noticed that extending the Royal Navy sailors’ gin ration with lime juice helped to prevent scurvy, a real scourge for seamen.
Even the stainless Marlowe, one of the toughest detectives in all of literature, gave us his recipe for Gimlet: half gin and half Rose’s Lime Juice. And this is the recipe that comes closest to the current one that many bartenders know.
Striking a lot to the bone, Gimlet is a variation of the old Daiquiri, with gin instead of rum, but we don’t want to do it any harm and detract from its fabulous taste. The important thing is the recipe for this great cocktail, perfect as an aperitif for its clean, aromatic and very drinkable taste.
Gimlet cocktail ingredients and doses
- 6 cl of gin
- 3 cl of lime cordial or 1.5 cl of lime juice + 2 cl of sugar and lime syrup
How to make the Gimlet cocktail
Fill a cup with ice to cool it down.
Fill a shaker with more ice, pour the gin and lime cordial and shake for 12 seconds.
Throw the ice out of the glass and pour the Gimlet, filtering through the colander.
Gimlet cocktail original recipe, the best gin-based cocktails
Garnish with a lime wedge and serve.
A very enjoyable variant, the Richmond Gimlet, involves adding a mint leaf before shaking.
How to make lime cordial
If you don’t have lime cordial, you can do it yourself: mix 300 grams of sugar syrup with 300 grams of lime juice in equal quantities, add lime peels, 1-2 cl of gin and let it rest overnight. Filter and use this premix for a couple of days. If you want it to keep for up to a week, weigh the lime juice and add double the sugar syrup before flavoring with the skins.
