Gimlet is a strong (30 degrees), sweet and sour cocktail with a characteristic citrus flavor and hints of juniper. It consists of only three ingredients and is easy to prepare at home. The Russian name is Gimlet, because, according to the old-timers, just a couple of servings of the drink make a hole in the memory.
Historical reference. Since the beginning of long sea voyages, sailors were most worried about the plague, an epidemic of which could destroy the ship’s crew in a matter of days. Once on the way to India Vasco da Gama lost almost the entire crew due to the plague, and several centuries later James Cook faced the same problem, who tried to save the sailors with spruce beer with sugar brewed right on the ship, but this did not help.
In 1747, a physician at the naval hospital, James Lind, concluded that the main cause of plague on sea voyages was a lack of vitamin C. In 1867, a new British shipping act was passed, according to which citrus juice became an obligatory part of the crew’s diet. British sailors began to be called “lemongrass”, but the decision of the Admiralty paid off – the plague in the fleet was defeated.
Mariners needed juice that could be stored for a long time at high temperatures and high humidity. For this purpose, the Scotsman Lochlin Rose developed a juice preservation technology based on pasteurization and the addition of sugar. This is how Rose’s Lime Cordial syrup was born. British naval officers immediately began mixing the new syrup with gin, which was also part of the mandatory diet of the ship’s crew.
According to one version, the cocktail is named after Admiral Thomas Desmond Gimlett, who argued that gin and lime is the best medicine in the fleet. According to another version, the name appeared thanks to a tool for opening barrels – gimlet, in Russian it is translated as “gimbal”.
Composition and proportions:
- gin (dry London) – 60 ml;
- lime juice – 20 ml;
- sugar – 1 teaspoon;
- ice – 200 grams.
The classic ratio of gin and juice is 3: 1. Instead of lime juice and sugar, you can use ready-made lime syrup (cordial), and replace gin with vodka, but the taste of the cocktail will change slightly.
The classic recipe for Gimlet (Gimlet)
1. Fill the shaker with ice. Add gin, freshly squeezed juice and sugar.
2. Shake, strain through a strainer (sieve) into a serving glass.
3. Garnish with a lime wedge or zest.
The complete cooking technology with slightly different proportions is shown in the video.
