Week 2 - Gimlet

The Gimlet is another venerable cocktail. Originally developed by the British in the Far East, it combines gin and lime - very British! Was it yet another way to consume citrus and avoid rickets, or is that just an excuse? I do not know, but either way it is a tart, refreshing drink.

Again, our recipe is from The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan.

• 2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz Rose's Lime Juice
• 1 lime wedge

Pour the gin and lime juice into a mixing glass half-filled with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the lime wedge.

Rose's Lime Juice has been around since 1867, when it was developed by Lauchlin Rose of Scotland. That is the same year the Merchant Shipping Act required all British ships to provide sailors with a daily ration of limes to prevent scurvy. The Act contributed to the success of Rose's Lime Juice no doubt. Today Rose's is produced Mott's.

We varied the recipe slightly. Instead of stirring the gin and lime juice together, we put them in a shaker. Instead of a lime wedge, we used a lime twist.

The end result is a simple, but sophisticated drink. Rose's has sugar added to it, which gives it a more powerful flavor, so the 4 to 1 ratio with the gin still leaves you with a lot of lime flavor. But there is not so much juice that it interferes with the characteristic crispness of the gin. A nice drink, and one that I think will be a favorite when summer hits. (That will be in just a few weeks here in Texas!)