Gimlet (cocktail)
Encyclopedia
The gimlet is a cocktail
made of gin
and lime juice
. A 1928 description of the drink was: "gin, a spot of lime, and soda" (D. B. Wesson, I'll Never be Cured III). A 1953 description was: "a real gimlet is half gin and half Rose's lime juice
and nothing else" (Terry Lennox in Raymond Chandler
's The Long Goodbye
).
For the vodka gimlet, replace gin with vodka. Bartenders often answer requests for the gimlet with a vodka gimlet. As the gimlet was director Edward D. Wood, Jr.'s favorite cocktail, he often used the pseudonym
s "Telmig Akdov" or "Akdov Telmig" (Vodka Gimlet spelled backwards) for his adult novels.
William L. Hamilton gave this recipe in his "Shaken and Stirred" column in the New York Times September 15, 2002: A gimlet served at the Fifty Seven Fifty Seven Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel consists of the following, shaken with ice:
The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan lists the recipe as:
Regan also states, "... since the Rose's product has such a long and impressive history (which predates the gimlet), I am inclined to think that Rose's was the ingredient that invented the drink".
The New New York Bartender's Guide by Sally Ann Berk lists the ratio of gin to Rose's lime juice as 3:1.
The recipe on Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice label:
The Richmond Gimlet, a variation that adds mint, was created in Eugene, Oregon
in 2001 by bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler. One version of the Richmond Gimlet recipe is:
The following vodka gimlet recipe is from the novels of Stuart Woods
: "Pour six ounces of vodka from a 750 ml bottle; replace with six ounces Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice (available from nearly any grocery), add a small amount of water for ice crystals, shake twice and store in the freezer overnight. Pour into a martini glass and serve straight up. The glass will immediately frost over. With this recipe, no cocktail shaker is required and the cocktail is not watered down by melting ice. You may use even the cheapest vodka, and no one will ever know."
The Carnaby Gimlet, a variation with natural spring water, was created at Carnaby Club, Rimini, Italy. The recipe is:
medication. (Limes and other citrus fruit have been used by the Royal Navy for the treatment of scurvy since the mid-18th century.) The abbreviation gmlt (not Gmlet) stands for "give my love to," commonly used in the days of the telegraph.
Cocktail
A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...
made of gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
and lime juice
Juice
Juice is the liquid that is naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue.Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fruit or vegetable flesh without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree...
. A 1928 description of the drink was: "gin, a spot of lime, and soda" (D. B. Wesson, I'll Never be Cured III). A 1953 description was: "a real gimlet is half gin and half Rose's lime juice
Rose's lime juice
Rose's lime juice, often known simply as Rose's, is a line of juice products first patented in 1867. The range includes both the original concentrated squash or cordial and also diluted drink mixers...
and nothing else" (Terry Lennox in Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
's The Long Goodbye
The Long Goodbye (novel)
The Long Goodbye is a 1953 novel by Raymond Chandler, centered on his famous detective Philip Marlowe. While some critics consider it inferior to The Big Sleep or Farewell, My Lovely, others rank it as the best of his work...
).
For the vodka gimlet, replace gin with vodka. Bartenders often answer requests for the gimlet with a vodka gimlet. As the gimlet was director Edward D. Wood, Jr.'s favorite cocktail, he often used the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s "Telmig Akdov" or "Akdov Telmig" (Vodka Gimlet spelled backwards) for his adult novels.
Preparation
Eric Felten gave this gimlet recipe in his "How's Your Drink Column" in the Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition of August 4, 2006:- 2 oz. gin or vodka
- 1/2 oz. lime juice
- 1/4 to 1/2 oz. simple syrup
- Garnish with a lime
William L. Hamilton gave this recipe in his "Shaken and Stirred" column in the New York Times September 15, 2002: A gimlet served at the Fifty Seven Fifty Seven Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel consists of the following, shaken with ice:
- 4 oz. vodka
- 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz. Rose's lime juiceRose's lime juiceRose's lime juice, often known simply as Rose's, is a line of juice products first patented in 1867. The range includes both the original concentrated squash or cordial and also diluted drink mixers...
- lime wedge for garnish
The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan lists the recipe as:
- 2 oz. Plymouth Gin
- 1/2 ounce Rose's lime juice
- Garnish with lime wedge
Regan also states, "... since the Rose's product has such a long and impressive history (which predates the gimlet), I am inclined to think that Rose's was the ingredient that invented the drink".
The New New York Bartender's Guide by Sally Ann Berk lists the ratio of gin to Rose's lime juice as 3:1.
The recipe on Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice label:
- 1 oz. Rose's Lime Juice
- 1½ oz. vodka, rum, or gin
- Shake with ice and serve
The Richmond Gimlet, a variation that adds mint, was created in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
in 2001 by bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler. One version of the Richmond Gimlet recipe is:
- 2 oz. TanquerayTanquerayTanqueray is a brand of British gin produced in Scotland by Diageo Plc and marketed world-wide.-History:Tanqueray Gin was initially distilled in 1830 by Charles Tanqueray in the Bloomsbury district of London. When Charles died in 1868, his son Charles Waugh Tanqueray inherited the distillery, which...
No. 10 gin - 1½ oz. fresh lime juice
- 1 oz. simple syrup
- large sprig mint
- Shake with ice, strain into a chilled glass
The following vodka gimlet recipe is from the novels of Stuart Woods
Stuart Woods
-Early life:Stuart Woods was born in Manchester, Georgia and graduated in 1959 from the University of Georgia, with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. After graduation he enrolled in the Air National Guard, spending two months in basic training before moving to New York, where he began a career in...
: "Pour six ounces of vodka from a 750 ml bottle; replace with six ounces Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice (available from nearly any grocery), add a small amount of water for ice crystals, shake twice and store in the freezer overnight. Pour into a martini glass and serve straight up. The glass will immediately frost over. With this recipe, no cocktail shaker is required and the cocktail is not watered down by melting ice. You may use even the cheapest vodka, and no one will ever know."
The Carnaby Gimlet, a variation with natural spring water, was created at Carnaby Club, Rimini, Italy. The recipe is:
- 1 oz. gin (suggested with Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire)
- 1/4 oz. fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz. Sweet Lime Syrup
- top with cold still water
- Serve with ice and lime slice in old fashioned double shot tumbler
Etymology
The word "gimlet" used in this sense is first attested in 1928. The most obvious derivation is from the tool for drilling small holes, whose name is also used figuratively to describe something as sharp or piercing. Thus, the cocktail may have been named for its "penetrating" effects on the drinker. Another theory is that the drink was named after British Royal Navy Surgeon General Sir Thomas D. Gimlette, KCB (served 1879 to 1913), who allegedly introduced this drink as a means of inducing his messmates to take lime juice as an anti-scurvyScurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
medication. (Limes and other citrus fruit have been used by the Royal Navy for the treatment of scurvy since the mid-18th century.) The abbreviation gmlt (not Gmlet) stands for "give my love to," commonly used in the days of the telegraph.