The Gimlet
The Gimlet is perhaps one of the oldest cocktails around—and certainly the easiest to make in its original form!
It is unlikely you’ll see the Gimlet in its original form these days, and that’s because the drink came about through necessity rather than pleasure.
Several hundred years ago, when the British were sailing around the globe colonising everyone, they would spend weeks and months at sea and often suffered poor health due to inadequate diet and harsh conditions. What they were suffering from was scurvy, which today we know results from a lack of vitamin C.
There had been studies commissioned to try to alleviate the scourge of scurvy, which could strike down the crew of an entire ship if not properly controlled. As early as the 17th century, it had been suggested that lemons and limes could be the answer. Although the results were promising, the idea didn’t catch on immediately.
All of this changed when Sir Thomas Gimlete, a Royal Navy surgeon, insisted that crew members be given a ration of lemons and limes to fight scurvy. As great an idea as it was, it still didn’t really catch on—presumably because the fruits weren’t pleasant to eat on their own.
In an effort to keep morale high, the crew on these ships were given a daily ration of watered-down gin, which they called “grog.”
Gimlete suggested that the lemons and limes be mixed with the sailors’ grog and taken daily in the hope of controlling scurvy. To say that this caught on is an understatement. Scurvy was now under control—and the world also had a new cocktail.
The sailors’ preference was for limes over lemons, and they consumed so many that considerable effort had to be made to source limes for each sailor on these mammoth journeys. British sailors had such an appetite for limes that they soon picked up the nickname “Limeys”. Yes—that’s where the name comes from.
Like most things discovered during colonisation, the new recipe made its way back to London. Once word spread, the Gimlet became the next big craze. And after sugar was discovered in the Caribbean, it’s easy to imagine the Gimlet as an early benefactor.
These days, we don’t drink a Gimlet with just pure lime juice and gin. As far back as 1928, recipes have included lime cordial to balance the bitterness. In 2024, we still use lime cordial, along with fresh citrus juice and sugar syrup. A modern Gimlet recipe might look something like this:
The Gimlet Ingredients:
- 50ml Dry Gin
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20ml Lime Cordial
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5ml Lime Juice (or 5ml Lemon Juice)
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5ml Sugar Syrup
Instructions:
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Stir all ingredients with ice.
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Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
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Garnish with a lime wheel or twist, if desired.
My Ginger Twist
For my own fun, my recipe includes a teaspoon of homemade ginger syrup. You can substitute this with more sugar syrup—but I like where it takes the cocktail.
Ingredients
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50ml Dry Gin
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20ml Bickford’s Brown Lime Cordial
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5ml Ginger Syrup
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5ml Lime Juice
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5ml Sugar Syrup
Method
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Stir all ingredients with ice.
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Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
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Garnish optionally with candied ginger or lime zest.
