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The first thing you need to know in order to be able to prepare a great Gimlet is why its called that.

A gimlet is a small, sharp tool that's used to make holes in wood. Commonly, a gimlet was used to tap into barrels in bars and the term become used for any sharp tasting cocktail.

Now you know this, you know that your gimlet has to have a good, sharp, tangy kick. You can experiment to see what does it for you; recipes do vary slightly but most are a combination of two recipes that became really popular in the 1930s.

The first - known in fact as a "gimblet" is

1 measure of dry gin (cocktail connoisseurs may insist on using Plymouth gin)
Half a measure of lime juice

Shake these two ingredients, then strain and add 2 measures of soda water. Do NOT add ice

The other a "Gimlet" is

1 measure of dry gin (again Plymouth if possible)
1 measure of Rose's Lime Cordial (some cocktail snobs insist that Roses is the correct brand to use but this may only be because there was no other brand of lime cordial around when the gimlet recipe was first recorded)

Stir the two ingredients and strain the mixture into an ice-filled glass. This recipe does not include soda water.

Learn more about this author, Fiona Thompson.
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