Pimms (Pimm’s No. 1) and Pimms Cup (Pimm’s Cup) at a glance

Pimms (Pimm’s No. 1) is a quintessentially British drink with a rich history and tradition dating back nearly 200 years. It has a pleasant dark brown color with a reddish tint, a subtle taste of spice and gin botany with hints of citrus. The perfect ingredient for summer long drinks. And in this article, you will learn how to make Pimms at home, and later mix it with a flawless, refreshing Pimms Cup.

Pimms is difficult to classify as a drink. This is not a liqueur or tincture, not strong alcohol – its strength is only 25%. In a broad sense, this is a cocktail, a long drink, which is usually additionally diluted with carbonated soft drinks. In England, they will tell you that Pimms is a “fruit cup” (fruit cup) or “summer cup” (summer cup), a kind of regional aperitif, which is usually served during the summer at important events in Foggy Albion (for example, at tennis tournaments) . And, perhaps, they will be right.

Prefix No. The 1 in the “cocktail” name is not shameless self-promotion. In fact, James Pimm, who invented Pimms, as well as his followers, tried to diversify the line of the drink, replacing the gin that was the basis of the formula with other strong alcohols such as rum, cognac and whiskey. But only the gin formula was able to get through two centuries of historical confusion and win the heart of the current aesthete. Therefore, the inscription on the bottle No. 1 well-deserved and fits into the decency of artsy England, but there were and are others:

• Pimm’s No. 1 – the most popular version of the drink based on gin with a strength of 25%. It can also be purchased in the form of a ready-made cocktail with lemonade (Pimm’s & Lemonade) in bottles with a capacity of 250 ml and 1 l, with a strength of 5,4%.
• Pimm’s No. 2 – Based on Scotch whiskey. Out of production.
• Pimm’s No. 3 – based on cognac. Discontinued but resurrected in a slightly modified form as Pimm’s Winter Cup and is a seasonal product.
• Pimm’s No. 4 – based on rum. Out of production.
• Pimm’s No. 5 – based on rye whiskey. Out of production.
• Pimm’s No. 6 – based on vodka. Still produced in small quantities.

There are many Pimms, but we have one imitation for all of them …

Homemade Pimms Recipe

A simple and elegant imitation of Pimms in the presence of a well-stocked bar at home. Experienced moonshiners can try their craft by mixing the drink with a homemade version of gin, one of the sweet vermouth imitations, homemade orange liqueur, and even homemade Campari tinted with real carmine. To prepare other versions of Pimms, it is enough to replace the gin with another strong drink. For example, to make Pimm’s No. 3, which is popular in winter, you just need to replace gin with cognac.

Wash the orange well with a brush and cut into large slices along with the peel. Transfer orange slices to a glass jar of suitable size, add gin, vermouth, orange liqueur, Campari and bitter orange zest (you can buy online or try replacing with dried grapefruit peels). Close the jar tightly, shake well and leave in a dark, cool place for 24-72 hours. Strain the finished drink through a sieve and pour into a clean bottle. Store in a dark cool place up to 1 year.

Well, Pimms has been prepared, you can also mix Pimms Cup.

Secrets of the Perfect Pimms Cup

Pimm’s Cup is a simple yet elegant traditional English cocktail based on Pimms (cocktail from “cocktail”, such a tautology). Around him there is a lot of debate about what needs to be added to the glass to make the perfect drink. Its simplest and most common version contains 1 part Pimms and 2-3 parts lemonade mixed in a tall glass of collins with ice. A separate art is the decoration of this seemingly ordinary mixture. In the course are fruits, herbs and even vegetables in the face of a cucumber. We see the perfect Pimms Cup No. 1 like this:

• Lemonade – a classic, but not a paradigm. First of all, it should be mentioned that in England, lemonade is understood as a kind of sweet transparent soda with a taste of citrus fruits (as it is called, “English-style lemonade”). One to one Sprite or 7-UP – we recommend stopping at them. Often the lemonade when mixing Pimm’s Cup is replaced in whole or in part with ginger ale, ginger beer, or a real Indian quinine tonic.
• Borage (borage) is a traditional decoration for Pimms Cup. Its leaves exude a pleasant cucumber aroma, and beautiful blue flowers bring notes of honey to the overall picture and make the garnish a decoration.
• Mint – for lack of borage on hand, a sprig of mint is the best alternative to it. Before adding mint to a glass, be sure to pat it between your palms to “release” the fragrant essential oils.
• Cucumber is another good substitute for borage, softening the botanical flavors of gin and other Pimms ingredients. Cut the cucumber into thin slices lengthwise and decorate your perfect Cap No. 1 with them.
• Fruit – slices of lemon, lime or orange, an apple slice or a quarter of a strawberry will be a wonderful decoration, both individually and all together with mint, borage or cucumber. They will emphasize Pimms’ botany, make the cocktail more intense, multifaceted, and summery.

And the British often mix their Pimms with champagne – this combination is known as the Royal Pimms Cup (Pimm’s Royal Cup). Winter Pimms is usually mixed with apple juice. Now, knowing all the nuances, it will be very easy to prepare the perfect Pimms Cup. For example, like this:

If the strength of the cocktail seemed like an easy mockery to your trained palate, it can be safely strengthened with alcohol, which is the basis of your Pimms. That is, the fortress of your Pimm’s Cup No. 1 should be increased with gin, and Pimm’s Cup No. 2 with whiskey. In American bars, under the auspices of mixology innovators, Pimms is mixed with tequila, red wine and ginger ale, bison and lemongrass, Irish whiskey and homemade lemonade, rum, etc. etc. Well, for social readers, we have prepared a Pimms Cup recipe for a large company. Without Pimms. Full “homemade”.

Pimms Cup (Pimm’s Cup) without Pimms

Adapted from the Pimm’s Cup Ready Cocktail Recipe from Recipes for Parties: Menus, Flowers, Decor: Everything for Perfect Entertaining, Nancy Parker, 2010.

*Homemade lemonade: mix 0,48 l of simple syrup (1: 1), juice and zest of 10-12 lemons and 1,9 l of chilled sparkling water, mix thoroughly and leave for 15-20 minutes. Can be substituted with Sprite, 7-UP, Ginger Ale, Ginger Beer or Tonic.

Nearly 200 years of Pimms

James Pimm, the son of a Kentish farmer, owned an oyster bar in the City of London, near the Bank of England. In 1823, he invited the guests of the establishment to taste some kind of homemade tonic, a gin-based drink containing a secret mixture of herbs and liqueurs, designed to help with digestion. He served it in small pewter mugs known as “No. 1 Cup”, from where the name of the successful future “cocktail” based on gin was borrowed.

In 1851, Pimm began large-scale production of his tonic in order to somehow compete with other bars in the rapidly growing industrial London. Then Pimm’s No. appeared in the line of his small company. 2 and Pimm’s No. 3. In 1865, Pimm sold his business and the right to use his name to Frederic Sawyer. In 1880, the company was taken over by the future Lord Mayor of London, Horatio Davies, who founded the Pimms Oyster Bar franchise in 1887. Over the years, the Pimms line has grown by changing the base for the drink. After World War II, the world saw Pimm’s No. 4, and in the 1960s Pimm’s No. 5 and Pimm’s No. 6.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the brand experienced financial difficulties, the oyster bar franchise was sold, and Pimm’s No. 2-5. This happened immediately after the company was taken over by the Scottish giant Distillers Company, which in 1986 was absorbed by Guinness PLC. After the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan in 1997, Pimms is produced under the auspices of the world’s largest producer of premium alcoholic beverages, Diageo. In 2005, a seasonal Pimm’s Winter Cup was released based on Pimm’s No. 3, complemented by warming spices and orange peels.