Title:
Gimlet
Description:
The best way to make a Gimlet depends on your point of view. What’s indisputable is that it is a mixture of gin, lime, and sugar. From there it’s a question of what you value - authenticity, freshness, deliciousness... (subjective I know!).
The oldest Gimlet recipes call for Rose’s Lime Juice, a brand name preserved lime cordial made from lime concentrate and sugar, or high fructose corn syrup nowadays. Having given it multiple chances, I must say I find it quite offensive and haven’t been able to make a palatable Gimlet with it. So I, along with many contemporary bartenders prefer to make “fresh” Gimlets with fresh lime juice and simple syrup.
However, some purists object to this version as merely a Gin Sour and maintain that unless Rose’s is used, it’s not a Gimlet at all. This has given rise to a third faction that attempts to bridge the gap by making lime cordial from scratch with real limes.
Having tried each version in a multitude of configurations, including several lime cordial recipes, I employed a simple workaround technique. I feel confident in saying is the Ulitmate Gimlet.
Recipe
2 oz gin
½ oz lime juice
¾ oz simple syrup
2 lime ”eighths” (¼ of a lime cut in half)
In a shaker, muddle the lime wedges in simple syrup. Add gin, lime juice, and fill with ice. Shake for 8-10 seconds and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Or serve up if you prefer. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Vodka Gimlet
Like the Martini, vodka has become such a common replacement for gin in the Gimlet that many think assume was always made that way. Not so, but if you want to make a Vodka Gimlet, simply replace vodka for gin in any of the recipes on this page. That’s it!
Lime Cordial Verison
I still prefer my Gimlet recipe, but here is some advice if you want to go thee traditional lime cordial route.
2 oz gin
1¼ oz (or to taste) Rose’s lime juice or homemade lime cordial (see below)
Combine and shake. Serve up or on the rocks
Homemade Lime Cordial:
The original Rose’s Lime Juice surely tasted better than it does today, so making lime cordial from scratch with real ingredients is probably the best nice way to experience the Gimlet’s original flavor profile.
Most DIY lime cordial recipes involve making lime oleo saccharum - lime peels macerated in sugar - and combining it with fresh lime juice. The ratio of sugar and lime juice can be adjusted to taste, which naturally will affect how much cordial you need to use in the drink.
10 limes - for peels and juice
1 cup sugar
Method
Peel the limes, reserving the fruit, and combine the peels with the sugar in a closed container. Make sure all the peels are coated or covered in sugar.
Let sit for up to 6 hours or even overnight, agitating occasionally, until the sugar is moistened and partially dissolved. This is oleo-saccharum.
Juice the peeled limes to get 1 cup of juice. Combine the juice with the oleo-saccharum and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Strain out the lime peels. Refrigerate.
On Rose’s Lime Juice
Rose’s Lime juice is a translucent light green and has a discordant blend of flavors ranging from cloyingly sweet to sharply sour to oxidized lime. I think Toby Cecchini said it best: ”it’s to limes as Spam is to steak”. The oxidized taste will increase depending on how old the bottle is, so check the expiration date and make sure the liquid is a pale green, not brownish green. Despite the majority of old Gimlet recipes calling for it, I find the Gimlets with Rose’s to be mediocre at best, and downright and foul at worst. Still, there’s something to be said for trying a drink in its natural habitat (and then never again). Opinions on the best ratio on differ. Some say it should be 50/50, but I find the one above to be more balanced.
Gimlet Variations & Relatives
Gimlets with lime cordial - either Rose’s or homemade - are fairly standalone cocktails that don’t lend themselves to many other configurations (though you could certainly swap in a different spirit and see how that works out). However, the Fresh Gimlet recipe above is arguably the greatest cocktail template that ever was. That’s not hyperbole talking. Just one or two simple tweaks separate this drink from a myriad of time-honored classics, many of which are the progenitor of a cluster of variations of their own.
For example, if you muddle some mint into it, you have a Southside. Add a few slices of cucumber to that and it’s an East Side. Change the lime juice to lemon and put it in a tall glass with some soda water and it’s a Tom Collins. Keep the lemon, put it in a rocks glass with crushed ice and drizzle some blackberry liqueur over the top and you have a Bramble. Stick with lemon, swap out the simple syrup for honey syrup and it’s a Bee’s Knees.
Bee’s Knee’s
2 oz gin
¾ oz lemon juice
¾ oz honey syrup
Shake and serve straight up .
These just a few of the established well-known drinks, but the possibilities are truly endless. Since gin mixes well with just about anything and the sour recipe in general is so ubiquitous, this drink is like a universal blood donor that works in just about anything you throw at it, be it other fruits, vegetables, herbs, citrus juices, liqueurs or spirits. I have used the Fresh Gimlet as a foundation for more of my personal original recipes than probably any other cocktail.
The oldest Gimlet recipes call for Rose’s Lime Juice, a brand name preserved lime cordial made from lime concentrate and sugar, or high fructose corn syrup nowadays. Having given it multiple chances, I must say I find it quite offensive and haven’t been able to make a palatable Gimlet with it. So I, along with many contemporary bartenders prefer to make “fresh” Gimlets with fresh lime juice and simple syrup.
However, some purists object to this version as merely a Gin Sour and maintain that unless Rose’s is used, it’s not a Gimlet at all. This has given rise to a third faction that attempts to bridge the gap by making lime cordial from scratch with real limes.
Having tried each version in a multitude of configurations, including several lime cordial recipes, I employed a simple workaround technique. I feel confident in saying is the Ulitmate Gimlet.
Recipe
2 oz gin
½ oz lime juice
¾ oz simple syrup
2 lime ”eighths” (¼ of a lime cut in half)
In a shaker, muddle the lime wedges in simple syrup. Add gin, lime juice, and fill with ice. Shake for 8-10 seconds and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Or serve up if you prefer. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Vodka Gimlet
Like the Martini, vodka has become such a common replacement for gin in the Gimlet that many think assume was always made that way. Not so, but if you want to make a Vodka Gimlet, simply replace vodka for gin in any of the recipes on this page. That’s it!
Lime Cordial Verison
I still prefer my Gimlet recipe, but here is some advice if you want to go thee traditional lime cordial route.
2 oz gin
1¼ oz (or to taste) Rose’s lime juice or homemade lime cordial (see below)
Combine and shake. Serve up or on the rocks
Homemade Lime Cordial:
The original Rose’s Lime Juice surely tasted better than it does today, so making lime cordial from scratch with real ingredients is probably the best nice way to experience the Gimlet’s original flavor profile.
Most DIY lime cordial recipes involve making lime oleo saccharum - lime peels macerated in sugar - and combining it with fresh lime juice. The ratio of sugar and lime juice can be adjusted to taste, which naturally will affect how much cordial you need to use in the drink.
10 limes - for peels and juice
1 cup sugar
Method
Peel the limes, reserving the fruit, and combine the peels with the sugar in a closed container. Make sure all the peels are coated or covered in sugar.
Let sit for up to 6 hours or even overnight, agitating occasionally, until the sugar is moistened and partially dissolved. This is oleo-saccharum.
Juice the peeled limes to get 1 cup of juice. Combine the juice with the oleo-saccharum and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Strain out the lime peels. Refrigerate.
On Rose’s Lime Juice
Rose’s Lime juice is a translucent light green and has a discordant blend of flavors ranging from cloyingly sweet to sharply sour to oxidized lime. I think Toby Cecchini said it best: ”it’s to limes as Spam is to steak”. The oxidized taste will increase depending on how old the bottle is, so check the expiration date and make sure the liquid is a pale green, not brownish green. Despite the majority of old Gimlet recipes calling for it, I find the Gimlets with Rose’s to be mediocre at best, and downright and foul at worst. Still, there’s something to be said for trying a drink in its natural habitat (and then never again). Opinions on the best ratio on differ. Some say it should be 50/50, but I find the one above to be more balanced.
Gimlet Variations & Relatives
Gimlets with lime cordial - either Rose’s or homemade - are fairly standalone cocktails that don’t lend themselves to many other configurations (though you could certainly swap in a different spirit and see how that works out). However, the Fresh Gimlet recipe above is arguably the greatest cocktail template that ever was. That’s not hyperbole talking. Just one or two simple tweaks separate this drink from a myriad of time-honored classics, many of which are the progenitor of a cluster of variations of their own.
For example, if you muddle some mint into it, you have a Southside. Add a few slices of cucumber to that and it’s an East Side. Change the lime juice to lemon and put it in a tall glass with some soda water and it’s a Tom Collins. Keep the lemon, put it in a rocks glass with crushed ice and drizzle some blackberry liqueur over the top and you have a Bramble. Stick with lemon, swap out the simple syrup for honey syrup and it’s a Bee’s Knees.
Bee’s Knee’s
2 oz gin
¾ oz lemon juice
¾ oz honey syrup
Shake and serve straight up .
These just a few of the established well-known drinks, but the possibilities are truly endless. Since gin mixes well with just about anything and the sour recipe in general is so ubiquitous, this drink is like a universal blood donor that works in just about anything you throw at it, be it other fruits, vegetables, herbs, citrus juices, liqueurs or spirits. I have used the Fresh Gimlet as a foundation for more of my personal original recipes than probably any other cocktail.
Type of Alcohol:
Gin
Date Added:
2025-12-30 10:12:25
Automatic Estimated Date:
2025-12-30
Date Added:
2025-12-30 10:12:25
