Gimlet (cocktail)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gimlet | |
| Type: | Cocktail |
|---|---|
| Primary alcohol by volume: | |
| Served: | "Straight up"; without ice |
| Standard garnish: | lime |
| Commonly used ingredients: | |
| Preparation: | Mix and serve. Garnish with a slice of lime |
- For the woodworking tool used to drill small holes, see gimlet
The Gimlet is a cocktail typically made of gin and lime juice (such as Rose's)
A 1928 description of the drink was: "gin, a spot of lime, and soda" (D. B. Wesson, I'll never be Cured III). A 1953 description was: "a real gimlet is half gin and half Rose's Lime Juice and nothing else" (detective Philip Marlowe in Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye).
According to the Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition on 8/4/06, a gimlet (lowercase "g") consists of the following:
- 2 oz. gin
- 1/4 to 1/2 oz. simple syrup
- 1/2 oz. lime juice (for example, Rose's)
- Garnish with a lime
The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan lists the recipe as:
- 2 oz. gin
- 1/2 ounce Rose's lime juice
- Garnish with lime wedge
Regan also states, "...since the Rose's product has such a long and impressive history (which predates the gimlet), I am inclined to think that Rose's was the ingredient that invented the drink".
The New New York Bartender's Guide by Sally Ann Berk lists the ratio of gin to Rose's lime juice as 3:1 instead of 4:1 as in the above recipes.
For the Vodka Gimlet, replace gin with vodka. As of the 1990s, maybe earlier, bartenders often answer requests for the gimlet with a vodka gimlet. Vodka gimlets were popularized by renowned proposition gambler and raconteur "Hong Kong" Freddie Wong, whose spirit of choice is quadruple-filtered Belvedere. Director Edward D. Wood, Jr.'s favorite cocktail, he often used the pseudonyms "Telmig Akdov" or "Akdov Telmig" (Vodka Gilmet spelled backwards) for his adult novels.[citation needed]
Surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette (1857-1943) served in the Royal Navy when cocktails started to become popular. A naval medical officer would certainly have had access to gin and lime juice. However, neither his obituary notice in The Times of October 6, 1943, nor his entry in Who Was Who, 1941-1950, mentions any inventiveness with regard to cocktails.
Helen Mirren was drinking a vodka gimlet during the 79th Academy Awards when filmed backstage in front of the "Thank You Cam". This was described by her as a "very British drink".
[edit] References in popular culture
- Jack Nicholson's character in the 2002 movie About Schmidt can be heard ordering a vodka gimlet during his retirement party.
- David Fisher (Michael C. Hall) orders a vodka gimlet in Episode 407 (The Dare) of the TV series Six Feet Under.
- In the Ernest Hemingway short story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber", Wilson and Mr. and Mrs. Macomber are sitting around after the lion incident and order gimlets.
- Philip Mercer, the main character of Jack DuBrul's novels, drinks a vodka gimlet every time he sits at a bar or relaxes in any of the books.
- Helen Parker, a character in the game Hotel Dusk, orders a gimlet at the hotel bar, reminding the bartender that a real gimlet only contains gin and lime juice.
- Emily Gilmore (played by Kelly Bishop) declares, "Richard! I need a gimlet!", after hanging up with daughter, Lorelai Gilmore (played by Lauren Graham), when trying to fill up her table for the Rare Manuscript Acquisition Fund on the hit television show Gilmore Girls(season 4, episode 13, "Nag Hammadi Is Where They Found the Gnostic Gospels").
[edit] See also
