Properly Sauced - The Gimlet

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jan 20, 2010 8:00PM

Ah, the Gimlet. The classic drink of tropical breezes, summer heat and sunny days. Why, you may ask, are we featuring it now? When it's 30 degrees and there's a freezing rain advisory, we need all the hints of summer we can get. All you need is a lime - suddenly you feel warm all over again.

There are many variations on a Gimlet, and much argument about how it is supposed to be made. While we don't take a stand on the "authentic" way to do it, we are militant about two things:

1) A vodka gimlet is not a cocktail, it is alcoholic lime juice. The proper gimlet is made with Gin.

2) While it is vitally important to use some Rose's lime juice, for the proper amount of sugar, Gimlets are supposed to be mouth-wateringly tart. Thus, actual limes must be used. Plus, less chance of winter scurvy!

Any other variation is fair game. Ratios, types of gin, straight up or on the rocks - you can fight over it in the comments. Indeed, we made a variation based on a mistake - after adding too much lime juice, we decided to add sparkling water and turn it into a sort of limeade gimlet spritzer. Tasty!

The Gimlet

3 oz Gin
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz Rose's lime juice
Optional: Club Soda

Mix the gin and juices in a shaker over ice. Shake vigourously. Strain out into a cocktail class of your choice. Top with club soda, if you like. Garnish with lime wedges.

Photo by Floodkoff.