Gin Gimlet — jlkm.net

← All recipes

OriginBritish naval, classic

Active5 min

Total5 min

EquipmentCocktail shaker, jigger, fine strainer, chilled coupe

Method

SHAKEN

Hard shake -- it is a citrus drink

Ice

STANDARD

Full shaker of cubes

Dilution

~20%

12-15 sec shake

Glass

COUPE

Up, chilled

	1 · SHAKE	2 · FINE STRAIN	3 · GARNISH
2 oz ≈ 59 mL gin	Into the shaker. Fill with ice, shake hard 12-15 sec.	Fine strain into the chilled coupe.	No garnish -- or a thin lime wheel dropped in.
3/4 oz ≈ 22 mL fresh lime juice	Into the shaker with the gin.
1/2 oz ≈ 15 mL simple syrup (1:1)	Into the shaker with the gin.
to fill ice, cubed	Fill the shaker.

1 · SHAKE

2 · FINE STRAIN

3 · GARNISH

2 oz ≈ 59 mL gin

Into the shaker. Fill with ice, shake hard 12-15 sec.

Fine strain into the chilled coupe.

No garnish -- or a thin lime wheel dropped in.

3/4 oz ≈ 22 mL fresh lime juice

Into the shaker with the gin.

1/2 oz ≈ 15 mL simple syrup (1:1)

Into the shaker with the gin.

to fill ice, cubed

Fill the shaker.

Protein

Produce

Dairy & Egg

Pantry & Grain

Spice & Seasoning

Liquid & Fat

Notes

Freeze the coupe 5 minutes ahead. Nothing in this drink holds temperature once it leaves the tin -- no ice in the glass, no carbonation. The glass is the only thermal mass it gets.

This is the craft-bar Gimlet, not the naval one. The original Royal Navy version was gin and Rose's lime cordial, unshaken. This fresh-juice-plus-syrup build is the modern standard and tastes brighter and less syrupy.

Fine strain, not just the Hawthorne. A hard shake with fresh lime pulls in small ice shards and pulp. The mesh catches what the shaker's built-in strainer misses.

Adjust syrup, not gin. If your limes run acidic, nudge the syrup up toward 5/8 oz rather than adding gin -- the gin-to-citrus ratio is what makes it a Gimlet.

Juice extra limes while you are at it. Fresh juice keeps 2-3 days refrigerated, and fresh versus bottled is the difference you can taste blind in this drink.

Adapted Classic. Origin disputed between the Royal Navy -- credited to Surgeon-Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette, who reportedly mixed gin with lime juice to encourage sailors to take their anti-scurvy ration -- and earlier gin-and-lime service records. https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/1027/gimlet