It may be named after the tool for drilling small holes (alluding to its “piercing” effect on the drinker) or after the surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette (1857–1943), who is said to have first added lime cordial to gin to help combat the ravages of scurvy on long voyages.
This Gimlet recipe worked its way into American literary folklore 60 years ago in Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye. One of the most oft-cited lines of this American classic takes place between the protagonist Philip Marlowe and Terry Lennox: “A real Gimlet is half gin and half Rose’s Lime Juice and nothing else. It beats Martinis hollow.”
In the late 1880s, scurvy (a lethal disease caused by lack of Vitamin C that killed millions of sailors throughout history) was rampant on British warships. The best preventative medicine at the time was the juice from citrus fruits. The only problem was that fruit often went bad while out at sea. Rose’s Lime Cordial (the precursor to modern-day Rose’s Lime Juice) had just been developed as the world’s first fruit concentrate and was soon the citrus juice of choice on warships.
Modern-day Gimlets have taken some liberties with the original recipe. The popularity of vodka in the late 20th century led to the Vodka Gimlet. And the craft cocktail craze tends to tone down the roses in favor of fresh lime juice and simple syrup and booze up the gin in a three-to-one ratio. Just remember that if you’re ordering an old-school Gimlet, the Rose’s will drown out any subtle aromatics. So maybe save the designer gin for your Martinis.
Turns out the lime juice was a bit tough to swallow. Enter Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette. He understood the easiest way to make anything more drinkable: add liquor. So to help out his shipmates, he added gin to Rose’s Lime Cordial, and boom … in the most unassuming of places, a timeless cocktail was born.
Legendary bartender Harry MacElhone, of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, published the first printed recipe of the gimlet in his comprehensive 1923Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails (half Plymouth Gin, half Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial): “Stir, and serve in the same glass. Can be iced if desired.” And then, perhaps as an homage to Gimlette, he added, “A very popular beverage in the Navy.”
An abridged, inebriated history:
The Gimlet was promoted and drunk by British officers back in the 19th Century. Citrus juice was a gift from the Gods to sailors, as it prevented them from catching scurvy – a brutal, painful and sometimes deadly disease brought about by vitamin C deficiency.
Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette (served 1879 – 1913) is cited by some as the namesake of the Gimlet. Acting as a doctor to sailors, he administered gin with lime in order to mask the bitter taste. Allegedly, he introduced this to his shipmates to help them swallow down the lime juice as an anti-scurvy medication. British sailors, though – unlike their superior Naval officers – had rum rations, and so used to mix this in with their lime. The drink became known as ‘grog,’ and so great was their consumption of this ‘medicine’ that sailors soon became known as “Limeys”.
Another credible etymological story is that the concoction was named after the hand tool, which was used to bore into barrels of spirits on Navy ships – a gimlet.
Rose’s Lime Cordial has played a central role in the story of the Gimlet, as it was the accessible and necessary sweet fruit preserve of choice by sailors. The cordial was first produced by Scottish entrepreneur Lauchlan Rose in 1867 and was the world’s first fruit concentrate. Rose patented the process in a move that quickly paid off, as later that year a law was passed that all vessels should carry lime juice and serve it as a daily ration to their crews.
The cocktail was featured in harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book, where he offered the advice that the drink “can be iced if desired.”
The History of The Gimlet | w/ Beau Robinson
FAQ
What’s the difference between a gimlet and a martini?
What is the background of gimlet?
What’s the difference between a gimlet and a Collins?
What is the meaning of gimlet drink?
Why is it called a gimlet?
The newly patented Rose’s Lime Cordial was the best way to take lime juice to sea because it was preserved thanks to all that sugar. Before long, the lime cordial was mixed with gin, and the Gimlet was born. Why is it called a ‘Gimlet’? There are a number of theories about how the cocktail got its name.
What is a gimlet cocktail?
The Gimlet is an easy classic cocktail made with gin and lime juice. There are a lot of variations, so we’ll cover the traditional recipe with lime cordial and an equally simple modern take made with fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Find this recipe and many more in my newest book, The Essential Bar Book for Home Mixologists, available on Amazon!
What is Gimlet gin?
This earliest Gimlet was a more enjoyable way to consume the acidic lime juice that was prescribed as a daily anti-scurvy medicine. And who doesn’t love a little gin with their daily dose of vitamin C! Also known as Rose’s Lime Juice, Rose’s Lime Cordial is a bottled juice that’s sweetened and nearly clear in appearance.
What is a gimlet made of?
As cited by Harry Craddock in his 1930 recipe book, “The Savoy Cocktail Book,” most gimlet purists agree that the drink is made from equal parts quality gin and Rose’s Lime Juice, a bottled concoction made of high fructose corn syrup and concentrated lime juice (via The Kitchn ). Typically, that means about two ounces of gin per drink.