Gimlet（ギムレット）
Gin sharpened by fresh lime — the Navy's medicine in its modern form.
01Recipe
Recommended recipe
House spec — an editorial spec drawing on the sourced versions below.
| Ingredient | Measure |
|---|---|
| Gin | 50 ml |
| Fresh lime juice | 15 ml |
| Sugar syrup | 10 ml |
Total volume (pre-dilution)
5 : 1.5 : 1
- 01
Chill a coupe thoroughly.
- 02
Shake gin, lime juice and syrup hard with ice.
- 03
Fine-strain into the glass. Garnish with lime.
Garnish — Lime wheel
02Taste profile
- Sweetness
- 38Light
- Sourness*
- 67Strong
- Bitterness
- 12Faint
- Fruitiness
- 42Moderate
- Herbal*
- 0Faint
- Alcohol
- 70Strong
- Crisp
- 66Strong
Independent editorial scores, 0–100. *Estimated from the ingredient list — a profile sketch, not a verdict.
03History
The Royal Navy required citrus against scurvy; Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette is credited (circa 1880) with prescribing the lime juice be cut with gin so officers would actually drink it. Lauchlin Rose's 1867 patent for preserved lime cordial made the drink possible ashore.
Chandler's Philip Marlowe ordered it 'half gin, half Rose's, nothing else' in The Long Goodbye (1953) — equal parts, sweeter than modern taste. The craft era rebuilt it with fresh lime and syrup, splitting the drink into cordial-traditionalists and fresh-juice modernists.
Either way, it is the aperitif at its most linear: cold, green, exact.
Origin contested — the entry keeps verified record and received legend distinct.
Sources — IBA Official Cocktails · Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye (1953)
04Recipe versions
Each version is shown exactly as recorded in its source — unverified claims are flagged.
- The Savoy Cocktail Book
Harry Craddock · 1930 · Book · unverified
- ½ dry gin
- ½ lime cordial
- Ice
'Stir, and serve in the same glass' — 50/50, cordial-heavy.
Pick 2 versions to compare — up to 3 on a wider screen
05Variations
- OriginLime Cordial GimletThe Navy-era original — gin and Rose's lime cordial, equal parts or to taste
- VariationVodka GimletThe neutral-spirit version; cleaner, less botanical
- VariationFrench GimletAdds elderflower liqueur
- VariationBasil GimletMuddled basil; the modern classic variant
06The map
Ingredients
Spirits
