How to master the Gin Gimlet

The Gin Gimlet was an unlikely hero of our socially distanced year. With their venues shuttered, bartenders were forced to get creative in order to ply their trade to a homebound audience. In a rush to create cocktails that could withstand bottling and postage, many turned to shelf-stable cordials in place of more temperamental citrus juices. After decades as a classic cocktail deep cut, the Gimlet was back on the menu. The original calls only for London Dry, Rose’s Lime Cordial, and a little ice to chill it down – but like many old favourites it affords ample room for experimentation.

The Classic

Scottish merchant Lauchlan Rose devised his namesake cordial in 1867 as a long-lived alternative to fresh citrus juice. His invention proved essential to vitamin c deficient sailors and effectively solved the centuries-old problem of scurvy on the high-seas. In typically British fashion it wasn’t long before they decided the medicine went down better with a little gin or rum added and a cocktail was born.