The gin Gimlet cocktail is one of the easiest classic cocktails to craft at home. It’s also a classy summer sipper.
In simple terms, the Gin Gimlet is a sophisticated sipper that combines gin with lime and sugar to create a sour cocktail that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Its complex flavor contrasts the yin of tart lime with the yang of sugar’s sweetness in a way that simply works.
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Originally imbibed to prevent scurvy (more on that later), the Gin Gimlet caught our eye when Betty Draper sipped them on Mad Men. Little did we know that these lime-forward gin cocktails would be so easy to craft and even easier to drink.
History of the Gin Gimlet
When it comes to the Gin Gimlet’s origin story, this classic cocktail has a colorful backstory that involves British officers, sailors and scurvy. It all sounds scandalous but it’s actually quite mundane.
As we learned while touring the HMS Victory in Portsmouth, British sailors lived a really tough life while sailing the seas during the 19th century. Liquor softened the edges and, when mixed with lime juice, helped to prevent scurvy.
So, it’s fair to call the Gin Gimlet a life saver with its one-two punch of alcohol and vitamin C. As for the officers, they simply liked the way that the Gin Gimlet tasted. We can relate.
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Ingredients
Our Gin Gimlet includes the following ingredients:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
The Gimlet is a classic three-ingredient cocktail except when it’s a classic two ingredient cocktail. It all comes down to whether you want to go old school with Rose’s Lime Juice or craft a cocktail with natural ingredients.
Pro Tip
Save money by making simple syrup from scratch. It’s as easy as boiling water and sugar in a 1:1 ratio until the sugar dissolves. Make sure you stir frequently so that the sugar doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. We used 1/2 cup of each which created more simple syrup than we needed to craft two cocktails.
Since gin is the only required liquor in this cocktail recipe, we don’t recommend using one that’s overly floral or herbaceous. We crafted our Gin Gimlet with Citadelle dry gin from France. Made with 18 different botanicals in addition to juniper, this quality dry gin has a sweet spiciness that plays well with lime and sugar.
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How to Craft a Gin Gimlet Cocktail
The list of necessary bar tools to craft a Gin Gimlet is as short as the classic cocktail’s ingredient list. All you need is a cocktail shaker, strainer and jigger.
The first step in crafting a Gin Gilet is to measure and pour the three ingredients. We measured our ingredients with a jigger and then poured them directly into a cocktail shaker.
Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade. That’s what we did.
The second step is to add ice and shake until the ingredients are chilled and mixed. You could alternatively stir the ingredients; however, we like how shaking integrates the flavors.
Straining the Gin Gimlet into a coupe glass is the third step. Since shaking with ice chills the cocktail, no additional ice is necessary.
All that’s left to do is garnish the cocktail with a lime wheel.
We typically slice a wheel from one of the limes before we juice it and then cut a slit so that the wheel fits snugly onto the cocktail glass.
Variations
If you’re feeling experimental or want to switch out the gin for a different liquor, here are some easy alternative cocktails to craft at home:
However, don’t feel pressured to experiment if you end up loving our easy Gin Gimlet recipe as much as we do.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Gimlet s a sophisticated sipper that combines gin with lime and sugar to create a cocktail that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Its complex flavor contrasts the yin of tart lime with the yang of sugar’s sweetness in a way that simply works.
Dry Gin, Simple Syrup, Fresh Lime Juice and Ice Cubes (for shaking)
You should use your favorite gin in this cocktail recipe. We typically use Citadelle gin but any dry gin will work just fine.
The Gimlet is shaken, not stirred.
We like to serve this cocktail in a coupe glass but you could use a small martini glass instead.
Did you craft this cocktail? If so, please rate the recipe below.
Gin Gimlet Recipe
Craft our classic Gin Gimlet Cocktail with just three ingredients. We love this tart, sweet cocktail and so will you.
Servings: 1
Calories: 193kcal
- 2 ounces gin
- ¾ ounce lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- lime wheel (garnish)
- ice cubes (for shaking)
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Pour gin, lime juice and simple syrup into a shaker.
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Add ice and shake vigorously until ingredients are mixed and chilled.
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Strain into a coupe glass.
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Garnish with a lime wheel.
- You can replace the lime juice and simple syrup with 2/3 oz. Rose’s Lime Juice.
- Making simple syrup from scratch takes 10 minutes. We consider it time well spent.
- You can use a small martini glass if you don’t have a coupe glass.
Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 11IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
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