Ok let’s be real. the gimlet cocktail is really just a gin sour. Sure, it’s subbing the lemon for lime, but that’s pretty much the only difference. At some point in history, someone decided to make this change and thought this bad boy needed a sexy new name. Not sure why they chose “gimlet”, but here we are. And honestly it’s not even half bad!
Is A Gimlet A Sour?
Heck yeah! Any cocktail that has alcohol, a sweetener and a sour aspect can be classified as a sour. With basic cocktails like this, it’s easy to differentiate, but with more advanced drinks that have lots of different flavor aspects, the line fuzzes a bit. But really, this is just a gin/lime sour, easy in it’s construction and crisp to drink. For some reason, I associate this more with summer than I do a normal gin sour. There’s probably a reason my therapist could tease out.
How To Make A Gimlet Cocktail
The key with making any cocktail taste like a pro made it is nailing the water content. This one is no exception. I’ve found that the less ingredients are present, the more crucial that water ratio becomes to the finished product. For this reason, make sure when making this to fill your shaker up about 3/4 of the way and shake until you start to hear the ice breaking down. As with all cocktails that have few ingredients, make sure you’re using the highest quality of ingredients. Don’t skimp on the lime. Fresh squeeze that juice and double strain it!
Gimlet Cocktail Recipe
- 2oz London dry gin (I use Bombay Sapphire)
- .75oz fresh lime juice
- .75oz simple syrup
Combine all ingredients in a shaker, fill 3/4 full with ice, and shake until the sound of the ice hitting the sides goes from crisp to sloppy, probably 10-15 seconds. Pour into a coupe and serve ice cold.