Pimm’s No. 1, a gin-based liqueur, is named after James Pimm, the bar owner who created it in the mid 1800s. By the 1860s, it was bottled. At one point, there were other “cups,” numbered 2 through 6, based on brandy, rum and other spirits. But the No. 1, a reddish tonic with citrusy and bitter notes, has always been the star, and it is not quite like anything else on the shelf.
The Pimm’s Cup’s skeletal components are nothing more than a measure of Pimm’s and roughly three measures of either lemonade, lemon soda or ginger ale (your preference), served over ice in a long glass and typically garnished with cucumber.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/4-inch-thick slice of unpeeled cucumber
- 1 ½ ounces Pimm’s No. 1
- ½ ounce gin, preferably Beefeater
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- Seltzer or sparkling water
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
- Mint, for garnish.
1 drink.
Preparation
- Make a simple syrup: in a small pan, heat sugar and 1 cup water; boil until sugar is melted. Cool. (It keeps in the refrigerator for weeks.)
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle the cucumber. Add the Pimm’s, gin, lemon juice and 3/4-ounce simple syrup. Shake.
- Strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with seltzer or sparkling water. Garnish with lemon wedge and mint sprig.
Dining and Cooking