Simple and refreshing. The Gimlet cocktail is a classic gin sour. Made with gin, fresh lime juice, and a bit of sugar, this cocktail shares a similarity with the classic Daiquiri which is a rum sour.

It’s believed that British sailors invented the Gimlet in the late 18th century. The story goes, sailors were suffering from a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C in the body. Lime juice contains lots of vitamin C, and how do you make sailors drink lime juice? You put liquor in it. Turns out, not only that it helped with the disease, but this improvised drink was actually delicious. In 1930, the cocktail appeared in “The Savoy Cocktail Book” by Harry Craddock.

For decades, the cocktail was with Rose’s lime cordial (a sweet n sour mix of lime juice and sugar). Nowadays, we use fresh lime juice and sugar syrup instead. During the 80s and 90s, it was common to use vodka for the Gimlet instead of gin. Eventually, gin retook its place back in the drink, simply because it fits better with the lime juice.

Ingredients:

  1. 2 Ounces (60 ml) of gin.
  2. ½ Ounce (15 ml) of fresh lime juice.
  3. ½ Ounce (15 ml) of sugar syrup.
  4. Lime wheel for garnish.

Preparation:

  1. Add the gin, lime juice, and sugar syrup to a shaker.
  2. Fill with ice and shake well.
  3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, or an Old Fashioned glass over ice.
  4. Garnish and enjoy.

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