A Gimlet

[Rushman2112]

So, picture the scene.

I come home on a mild buzz after dinner and a couple of bottles of wine. The missus arrives home with her sisters from Jakarta who it seems are staying the night en route to somewhere else - I have no idea what's going on so I stitch on the usual hello nice to see you smile and retreat to the iMac while they all sit and have a family gossip. I do speak a little Bhasa Indonesian, but not enough to keep up, so I think about a slurp.

I realise I only have gin and vodka in the cupboard, and some very nice Ch Delmain Cognac that I don't want to waste, and no mixers. Disaster. Then I see that the internet is my friend.

A Gimlet.

Gin, Lime juice, bit of sugar.

A Winner.

 

[Commander Quan]

I've made them with Rose's sweetened lime juice, and like them but have pretty much given up on gin because; it goes straight to my head, after 2 drinks I'm toasted. And for some reason gin makes my hair smell. Waking up the morning after a few gin drinks I reek. Nothing else has this effect on me just gin.

 

[The Dean]

Roses is pretty much the standard for most bars and restaurants---which is a shame really. When you finally get a gin gimlet made with primo gin and fresh squeezed lime juice, you notice just how spectacular it can be.

When I'm in a place that squeezed their own lime juice, I'm all over a gimlet--Bombay Sapphire still tends to be my favorite for a gimlet. But if I decide to have a gimlet in a typical place that uses Roses, I ask them to make it VERY dry and use the Roses as they would Vermouth in a very dry martini. Just a drop. Then I have them give me a big wedge of lime.

Now, here's where my ice weirdness kicks in. I like my gimlets on the rocks---packed with ice! As that ice melts just a bit, it really mellows out the gimlet.

 

[cody6766]

Use Hendricks and toss in a splash of St Germain and you'll be in heaven. The St Germain adds a floral, mineral note that really adds to the drink.

 

[The Dean]

Use Hendricks and toss in a splash of St Germain and you'll be in heaven. The St Germain adds a floral, mineral note that really adds to the drink.

Sounds very good, but it isn't a gimlet. I know a few people who really like this drink. I will have to give it a try.

 

[jedimojeaux]

Fresh lime juice, a touch of simple syrup, and gin on the rocks. Love it. I've had it with Rose's, but it has this almost artificial taste to it I don't enjoy.

 

[ackvil]

For me its Bombay Sapphire and squeeze half a lime in a shaker filled with some ice to which I add two tablespoons of Roses. I then serve it over a few ice cubes. I prefer it on the tart side and so do not add any syrup or sugar.

 

[OldAF]

I enjoy a gimlet. Throw in Rum in place of the Gin and you have a Daiquiri. I like the El Dorado 3 YO White Demerara.

Most folk today would have you believe a Daiquiri is a frozen concoction made with strawberries (or whatever) and a blender. Not true... Try the classic instead. Your waistline will thank you.

•1 1/2 oz light rum
•3/4 oz lime juice
•1/4 oz sugar syrup

 

[The Dean]

I enjoy a gimlet. Throw in Rum in place of the Gin and you have a Daiquiri. I like the El Dorado 3 YO White Demerara.

Most folk today would have you believe a Daiquiri is a frozen concoction made with strawberries (or whatever) and a blender. Not true... Try the classic instead.

Yup. What most in the USA call a Margarita is as bad or worse, IMO.

(Though, I confess to the guilty pleasure of having the very occasional fresh-made strawberry daiquiri.)

 

[BubblesTGB]

I'm a fan of the Gibson. Several weeks ago I ordered one at the bar and the very young bartender had no idea what it was and made me a Gimlet instead. Fortunately it was fresh lime juice and not Rose's. He offered to fix the mistake but I actually enjoyed it very much. I still like my onions, but on a hot day, the Gimlet is certainly refreshing.

 

[cody6766]

Sounds very good, but it isn't a gimlet

True. I forget what Hendricks calls it...maybe just their twist on a traditional gimlet. You can take it one step farther and muddle a leaf or 2 of thai basil before serving. It's interesting. I wouldn't drink it every day, but it adds an interesting twist to the drink.

 

[Aristeros]

The 'old fashioned' recipes have a lot to say for them--they work, for one.

You made me wish for a dram of gin tonight, my friend, and made me think of the times I felt 'outnumbered.' Thanks!

 

[Shantytownbrown]

Love a good gimlet, but To really sub for Rose's with fresh you need to make a Lime Cordial, not a Lime Simple Syrup..the only main difference to be honest, is the addition of infusing Lime Zest into the mix...then straining it off, 12 bottle bar does it by infusing Vodka with the zest then mixing with Agave, Cane Sugar and Citric Acid...there are other similar recipes out there..http://12bottlebar.com/2010/10/the-chronicles-of-gimlet-part-one/

I simply muddle my dry sugar with lime zest, grind all the oils out, then make a 1:1 simple out of that, strain it off with a fine mesh strainer and a cheese cloth (unless you use wider swaths of zest then pick them out with you hands), and add a shot of 100 proof vodka to prevent mold from forming too quickly, so I can get a couple of uses out of it before it goes off...give that a go in your Gimlets!!

I think I know what we are drinking tonite!

 

[Texshave]

Raymond Chandler's classic hard boiled detective novel The Long Goodbye features the gin gimlet (with Rose's). Not a bad book to read if you like that drink.

 

[tfinch]

I'm a fan of the Gibson. Several weeks ago I ordered one at the bar and the very young bartender had no idea what it was and made me a Gimlet instead. Fortunately it was fresh lime juice and not Rose's. He offered to fix the mistake but I actually enjoyed it very much. I still like my onions, but on a hot day, the Gimlet is certainly refreshing.

Definitely refreshing. For hot day drinks it's right up there with G&T.

 

[packtray]

Hemingway was a big fan of these. Then again, he liked a lot of drinks.

 

[Rushman2112]

I was introduced to a great little cocktail bar here called Jigger and Pony last week, not cheap at around S$25 for a cocktail, but the measures are full, and the drinks are great. They do an excellent Gimlet and I can see a few visits in the future.

 

[langod]

Raymond Chandler's classic hard boiled detective novel The Long Goodbye features the gin gimlet (with Rose's). Not a bad book to read if you like that drink.

And the Gimlets that Philip Marlow enjoyed with Tony Lennox in that book were the classic 50/50 mix of gin and Rose's lime. (If I remember correctly.) However, back then Rose's was made with sugar, not HFCS, so the taste/consistency was probably different.
(I wonder if sugar-based Rose's is still available?)

 

[The Dean]

And the Gimlets that Philip Marlow enjoyed with Tony Lennox in that book were the classic 50/50 mix of gin and Rose's lime. (If I remember correctly.) However, back then Rose's was made with sugar, not HFCS, so the taste/consistency was probably different.
(I wonder if sugar-based Rose's is still available?)

50/50? Sugar or HFCS I'm thinking that would gag me. Of course, the classic martini is made with 1/3 vermouth,. A very good friend of mind is a bartender here in St Augustine and he still makes his martinis that way. He insists it's the original, therefor the best way to make them. What I think he might not understand is, back when many of these drinks were first concocted, the liquor was of generally questionable quality. With the overall improvement in the quality of most gin, it is understandable the recipes have been adjusted to include more of the primary ingredient.

 

[langod]

50/50? Sugar or HFCS I'm thinking that would gag me. Of course, the classic martini is made with 1/3 vermouth,. A very good friend of mind is a bartender here in St Augustine and he still makes his martinis that way. He insists it's the original, therefor the best way to make them. What I think he might not understand is, back when many of these drinks were first concocted, the liquor was of generally questionable quality. With the overall improvement in the quality of most gin, it is understandable the recipes have been adjusted to include more of the primary ingredient.

LOL! Notice I didn't say I drank them that way.....
3 parts good gin
1/2 part Roses
1/2 part fresh lime juice.