The Gimlet recipe
for your table
Add the gin and lime cordial with plenty of ice to a mixing glass or shaker.
Stir for 25 seconds (classic and clear) or shake for 12 seconds (fresher and livelier).
Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora or coupe glass.
Squeeze a strip of lime zest over the glass and let it sink in.
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The story
The Gimlet owes its existence to the British navy. To prevent scurvy, sailors were given concentrated lime juice from 1867 onward, Rose's Lime Juice, the world's first shelf-stable fruit cordial. Officers mixed it with their gin ration, creating a cocktail on board that later found its way into London's chic clubs. The name may refer to naval doctor Thomas Gimlette, or to the gimlet, the small hand drill used to tap barrels. Today, bartenders are once again making their own cordial with fresh lime.
The right glass
The Gimlet is served straight up and deserves a small, elegant stemmed glass. The Nick & Nora glass is a favourite: its tulip-shaped bowl keeps the cocktail colder for longer than a wide martini glass and brings the lime aroma nicely to your nose. A capacity of 14 to 16 cl is just right for this compact recipe. A small coupe also looks beautiful with this clear, pale-green classic. If you prefer a classic V-shaped glass, take a look at our martini glasses.
RCR Melodia Port Glass Nick And Nora 14 cl (6 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco Novecento Cocktail Glass 15.5 cl Nick And Nora (4 pieces)
Both sets together € 59,90.
The right tools
For a Gimlet, in addition to the glass, you need a shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a fine strainer for double straining, a citrus juicer and a zester for the twist. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find them all in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 103,70.
What do you make a Gimlet with?
For a Gimlet, you need the right base. Well-known bottles include Linie Aquavit. On every spirits page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Modern bars make their own cordial with herbs: basil, kaffir lime leaf, or ginger give the Gimlet its own character. With vodka, it becomes a Vodka Gimlet, softer and more neutral. Shake in a few leaves of fresh mint and you are halfway to a Southside. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Make your own cordial: heat equal parts sugar and lime juice with the zest, let it cool, and store it in the refrigerator. Freshly made, it is infinitely better than the bottled version.
Good to know
The gin-to-lime cordial ratio
Six centiliters of gin to 2 cl of lime cordial is 3 to 1, and that is the ratio most bars use. The naval version from the nineteenth century reportedly tended toward equal parts, which is far too sweet by modern standards. If you are working without cordial, use 2 cl of fresh lime juice plus 2 cl of simple syrup; the drink will then be slightly longer, so use a coupe of at least 15 cl. A robust gin with plenty of juniper handles 3 to 1 perfectly well, while a soft modern gin calls for closer to 4 to 1.
How to make lime cordial yourself
Homemade cordial elevates this cocktail the most, and it takes fifteen minutes. Zest four limes, mix the zest with 200 grams of sugar, and let it stand for an hour so the oil infuses into the sugar. Then add 200 milliliters of fresh lime juice, stir until everything has dissolved, and strain. You now have about 35 cl of cordial, enough for seventeen glasses. In a sealed bottle in the refrigerator, it keeps for two to three weeks. If you want to keep it longer, add half a teaspoon of citric acid; this also keeps the color fresher.
Stir or shake
Both are defensible, and the choice determines the character. Stirring, for about twenty-five seconds in a mixing glass, produces a clear, silky cocktail in which the gin is clearly front and center. Shaking, for twelve seconds, adds air and tiny ice shards, resulting in a livelier, slightly cloudier, fresher glass. If you use fresh lime juice instead of cordial, shaking is almost always the better choice, because juice needs that aeration to integrate. With ready-made cordial and a classic dry gin, stirring comes closest to the original served in the ship's bar.
Gimlet, Vodka Gimlet or Daiquiri
The Gimlet and the Daiquiri are the same cocktail with a different base: gin versus white rum, with citrus and sugar balanced in both. Gin brings juniper and herbs, while rum brings vanilla and cane sugar, making the Gimlet crisper and the Daiquiri rounder. Replace the gin with vodka and it becomes a Vodka Gimlet: softer and more neutral, and precisely for that reason a good place to experiment with herbal cordials. All three work with approximately 3 parts spirit to 1 part sweet-and-sour, so you can switch between them easily.
Frequently asked questions
What's in a Gimlet?
Gin and lime cordial, here 6 cl gin to 2 cl cordial, finished with a squeezed lime zest. If you don't have cordial at home, use 2 cl fresh lime juice with 2 cl simple syrup. This refined gin classic really needs no more ingredients.
What is lime cordial and can you make it yourself?
Lime cordial is concentrated, sweetened lime syrup, originally devised as a remedy for scurvy in the British navy. Making it yourself is simple: heat equal parts sugar and fresh lime juice with a little zest, let it cool and store it in the refrigerator. Fresh tastes livelier than bottled.
Do you stir or shake a Gimlet?
Either works. Stirring for twenty-five seconds produces the classic, crystal-clear version with a silky texture; shaking for twelve seconds makes it fresher, livelier and slightly lighter. If you use homemade cordial with fresh lime in it, shaking usually works better.
Which glass do you serve a Gimlet in?
In a 14 to 16 cl Nick and Nora glass. The tulip-shaped bowl keeps the cocktail colder for longer than a wide martini glass and directs the lime aroma toward your nose. A small coupe works too: see our Nick and Nora glasses.
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