The gimlet has a fascinating origin story. Royal Navy ships carried lime cordial to keep scurvy at bay, officers stirred it into their gin, and a drink was born. Whether or not that's quite how it happened, the drink has outlasted the voyages by a comfortable margin, and the classic needs little more than gin and lime.
Here, lime juice replaces the cordial, making the drink much fresher and brighter. A few basil leaves are pressed into the syrup, bringing herbal aromatics that perfectly suit gin's botanicals. It's short, sharp and cold, making it a good first drink on a warm evening.
Ingredients
- 60ml gin
- 25ml St Andrews Limes Lime Juice
- 20ml Six Barrel Soda Simple Sugar Syrup
- 5-6 basil leaves, plus 1 for garnish
- Ice
Method
- Chill a coupe glass by filling it with ice and water, or leave it in the freezer while you mix.
- Add the basil leaves and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Press gently with a muddler three or four times, enough to release the oils without shredding the leaves.
- Add the gin and lime juice, fill the shaker with ice, and shake hard for about 12 seconds.
- Tip the ice water out of your glass. Double strain the gimlet through a fine sieve so no basil fragments end up in the drink.
- Garnish with a fresh basil leaf.