AuthorThe Cocktails Must FlowCategoryLime Wedge, London Dry GinDifficultyBeginner

The gimlet is a cocktail made of gin and Rose's Lime Juice. A 1928 description of the drink was: gin, and a spot of lime. A description in the 1953 Raymond Chandler novel The Long Goodbye stated that "a real gimlet is half gin and half Rose's lime juice and nothing else." This is in line with the proportions suggested by The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), which specifies one half Gin and one half Rose's Lime Juice. However, modern tastes are less sweet, and generally provide for at least two parts gin to one part of the lime and other non-alcoholic elements (see recipes below).

The derivation of the name of the cocktail is contested. It may be named after the tool for drilling small holes (alluding to its "piercing" effect on the drinker) or after the surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette (27 November 1857 – 4 October 1943), who is said to have first added lime cordial to gin to help combat the ravages of scurvy on long voyages.

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