If ever there was a drink that is so standard that even the most novice bartender could not mess up, would be the Gimlet. Author Raymond Chandler mentions it in his book, the Last Goodbye as character Detective Philip Marlowe has one in the bar but wants it with bitters.

It’s made up of gin and and Roses lime juice. Yes you heard me say Roses rather than fresh squeezed lime juice. It’s makes for a sweeter drink than tartness that could bring this brand of martini and could be palatable for non real martini drinkers.

The drink has several accounts of it’s origin. One that a British surgeon named Sir Thomas D. Gimlet came up with the ideas after joining the royal navy in 1879. He suggested that the men on board should take this drink for medicinal purposes, thus the name Gimlet. Another account of the drink is that it’s named after a corkscrew- like tool that was sent with lime juice containers to British colonies during the late eighteenth century.

Like the Martini, we may not know where, when, and who really invented it but it’s great conversation over a drink.

The Gimlet

1 1/2 oz top shelf gin or vodka
1/2 oz Roses lime juice

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Filed under: Gin, Vodka Tagged: 19th century, cocktail, cocktail recipe, daddy-o's martinis, daddyosmartinis, drink, gin, john apodaca