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Gin Gimlet

The Gin Gimlet cocktail is one of the easiest classic cocktails to craft at home. It’s also one of the classiest.

Gin Gimlet on Black Slate
Image: ©2foodtrippers

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s Party!”

Robin Williams

We didn’t fully understand the verity of this statement until we crafted Gin Gimlets on an early March evening. It hit us after we went outside and noticed grass sprouting through the sidewalk.

Gin Gimlet with Lime on Grass
Drinking this Gin Gimlet outside brought us close to nature albeit in an urban setting. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

We tasted spring in every sip. And spring tasted good.

Discover more spring cocktails.

What Is A Gin Gimlet?

Gin Gimlet on Green Marble
Cool, classy, sweet and tart and just a few words to describe a Gin Gimlet cocktail. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

In simple terms, the Gin Gimlet is a sophisticated sipper that combines gin with lime and sugar to create a sour cocktail that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Its complex flavor contrasts the yin of tart lime with the yang of sugar’s sweetness in a way that simply works.

Discover more sour cocktails to craft at home.

Enjoying a Gin Gimlet
Drinking this Gin Gimlet made us smile. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Originally imbibed to prevent scurvy (more on that later), the Gin Gimlet caught our eye when Betty Draper sipped them on Mad Men. Little did we know that these lime-forward gin cocktails would be so easy to craft and even easier to drink.

History Of The Gin Gimlet

Gin Gimlet on Step
The Gin Gimlet’s history reveals itself step by step. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

When it comes to the Gin Gimlet’s origin story, this classic cocktail has a colorful backstory that involves British officers, sailors and scurvy. It all sounds scandalous but it’s actually quite mundane.

As we learned while touring the HMS Victory in Portsmouth, British sailors lived a really tough life while sailing the seas during the 19th century. Liquor softened the edges and, when mixed with lime juice, helped to prevent scurvy.

So, it’s fair to call the Gin Gimlet a life saver with its one-two punch of alcohol and vitamin C. As for the officers, they simply liked the way that the Gin Gimlet tasted. We can relate.

Discover more of our favorite Pre-Prohibition cocktails.

Ingredients

Gin Gimlet Ingredients
Besides ice, these are the only ingredients necessary for crafting a Gin Gimlet at home. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The Gimlet is a classic three-ingredient cocktail except when it’s a classic two ingredient cocktail. It all comes down to whether you want to go old school with Rose’s Lime Juice or craft a cocktail with natural ingredients.

Since we prefer to go the natural route, our Gin Gimlet includes the following ingredients:

  • Dry Gin
  • Simple Syrup
  • Fresh Lime Juice
  • Lime Wheel (garnish)
  • Ice Cubes (for shaking)

Pro Tip
Save money by making simple syrup from scratch. It’s as easy as boiling water and sugar in a 1:1 ratio until the sugar dissolves. Make sure you stir frequently so that the sugar doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. We used 1/2 cup of each which created more simple syrup than we needed to craft two cocktails.

Citadelle Citron Blue Bottle on White Background
We always use the best available liquor for our cocktails. We used Citadelle dry gin to craft this Gin Gimlet. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Since gin is the only required liquor in this cocktail recipe, we don’t recommend using one that’s overly floral or herbaceous. We crafted our Gin Gimlet with Citadelle dry gin from France. Made with 18 different botanicals in addition to juniper, this quality dry gin has a sweet spiciness that plays well with lime and sugar.

Discover our favorite gin cocktails.

How To Craft A Gin Gimlet Cocktail

Gin Gimlet in Shaker
Crafting a Gin Gimlet is ridiculously easy with only four simple steps. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The list of necessary bar tools to craft a Gin Gimlet is as short as the classic cocktail’s ingredient list. All you need is a cocktail shaker, strainer and jigger.

The first step in crafting a Gin Gilet is to measure and pour the three ingredients. We measured our ingredients with a jigger and then poured them directly into a cocktail shaker.

Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade. That’s what we did.

Pouring Gin into a Gin Gimlet
Step 1: Measure and Pour the Ingredients. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The second step is to add ice and shake until the ingredients are chilled and mixed. You could alternatively stir the ingredients; however, we like how shaking integrates the flavors.

Shaking a Gin Gimlet
Step 2: Shake, Shake Shake. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Straining the Gin Gimlet into a coupe glass is the third step. Since shaking with ice chills the cocktail, no additional ice is necessary.

Straining a Gin Gimlet
Step 3: Strain the Gin Gimlet into a Coupe Glass. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

All that’s left to do is garnish the cocktail with a lime wheel.

Crafted Gin Gimlet
Step 4: Add a Lime Wheel as Garnish. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

We typically slice a wheel from one of the limes before we juice it and then cut a slit so that the wheel fits snugly onto the cocktail glass.

Variations

Gin Gimlet Outside
How you drink your Gimlet is up to you. We crafted this one with gin and drank it outside. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

If you’re feeling experimental or want to switch out the gin for a different liquor, here are some easy alternative cocktails to craft at home:

  • Replace the lime juice and simple syrup with Rose’s Lime Juice. However, be aware that the American version includes high fructose corn syrup.
  • Add a slice of cucumber to craft a Cucumber Gimlet.
  • Replace the gin with rum to craft a Daiquiri.
  • Replace the gin with tequila to craft a Tequila Gimlet.
  • Replace the gin with vodka to craft a Vodka Gimlet.
  • Replace the simple syrup with St. Germain to craft a French Gimlet.
Sipping a Gin Gimlet
Sharing is caring except when it comes to Gin Gimlets. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

However, don’t feel pressured to experiment if you end up loving our easy Gin Gimlet recipe as much as we do.

Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Gimlet?

The Gimlet s a sophisticated sipper that combines gin with lime and sugar to create a cocktail that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Its complex flavor contrasts the yin of tart lime with the yang of sugar’s sweetness in a way that simply works.

What are the ingredients in a Gimlet?

Dry Gin, Simple Syrup, Fresh Lime Juice and Ice Cubes (for shaking)

What’s the best dry gin to use in a Gimlet?

You should use your favorite gin in this cocktail recipe. We typically use Citadelle gin but any dry gin will work just fine.

Is the Gimlet shaken or stirred?

The Gimlet is shaken, not stirred.

What type of glass is best for the Gimlet?

We like to serve this cocktail in a coupe glass but you could use a small martini glass instead.

Did you craft this cocktail? If so, please rate the recipe below.

Gin Gimlet on Black Slate
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4.25 from 4 votes

Gin Gimlet Recipe

Craft our classic Gin Gimlet Cocktail with just three ingredients. We love this tart, sweet cocktail and so will you.
Prep Time5 minutes
Additional Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Drink
Cuisine: Cocktail
Servings: 1
Calories: 193kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces gin
  • ¾ ounce lime juice (freshly squeezed)
  • ¾ ounce simple syrup
  • lime wheel (garnish)
  • ice cubes (for shaking)

Instructions

  • Pour gin, lime juice and simple syrup into a shaker.
  • Add ice and shake vigorously until ingredients are mixed and chilled.
  • Strain into a coupe glass.
  • Garnish with a lime wheel.

Pro Tips

  • You can replace the lime juice and simple syrup with 2/3 oz. Rose’s Lime Juice.
  • Making simple syrup from scratch takes 10 minutes. We consider it time well spent.
  • You can use a small martini glass if you don’t have a coupe glass.

Estimated Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 11IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
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About The Authors

About The Authors

Daryl & Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers their unique taste of the world.

Disclosures

Article Updates
We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in this article.

Funding
We purchased the ingredients and tools used to craft this cocktail.

Original Publication Date: March 5, 2021

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