Cocktail of the Hour: Gimlet

Having been reading various books on the subject, including a wonderful little tome called "How's Your Drink?" by Eric Felten, I've regained a big appreciation for the classic highball known as the Gimlet. Perhaps the only thing on this planet that Rose's Lime Juice (actually a lime syrup, but they've been around longer than truth-in-labeling laws) is good for, it is quite tart and refreshing. The traditional recipe for one is as follows:

The Gimlet:

Equal parts gin and Rose's Lime Juice. (2oz. of each would make a standard size)
Stir over rocks in a highball glass. Garnish (if desired) w/ lime wedge.

Now, this makes a fine drink, but it's a bit too tart for me, so I like to change things a bit and decrease the amount of the lime.

Hunter's Gimlet:

2 parts gin
1 part Rose's Lime Juice

If you want to stretch the drink a bit, move to a Collin's glass, increase the Rose's Lime Juice and add Club Soda.

Gimlet Fizz:

2 oz. Gin
3 oz. Rose's Lime Juice
Add to Collins glass w/ ice.
Top with Club Soda or Seltzer (~3 - 4 oz.)
Stir and serve.

For people looking for ridiculous ways to cut calories, I imagine that something along the lines of this would work well.

The GimLite:

2 oz. Gin
4 oz. lime flavored Seltzer.
Add to Collins glass w/ ice.
Stir and serve.

Crisp, refreshing and all but sugar-free.

One more thing. Eric Felten raises an excellent point in his book. This drink, along with Gin and Tonics (but that's another post) benefit from what he calls an "unapologetic" gin. One that perfumes the room with the smell of juniper when you open the bottle. And you know what, he's dead on. This is a drink that needs powerful flavors to cut through the tartness. This is not a drink to savor the nuances of the botanicals. No, if you could wring out juniper sap as an ingredient, I'd recommend you do that. (Actually, with Juniper berries increasingly availabe, you probably could. Note to self: investigate further). One step above bathtub gin lies my personal favorite for these type of drinks; Gordon's London Dry. If it was good enough for James Bond, it's good enough for you. [Bombay London Dry works fine too, as that's the other gin I try to keep on hand at all times].

So, find room in your fridge next to the crappy fake Grenedine for some Rose's Lime and enjoy one of the perfect cocktails that you don't have to be fussy over.

Cheers!