Preparation
- 1.
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
- 2.
Strain into a chilled coupe or rocks glass (if using a rocks glass, strain over ice).
- 3.
Garnish with a lime wheel.
Notes
A bit o' history
The Gimlet is an old drink, tracing its origins to 19th-century British naval tradition, when sailors received lime rations to prevent scurvy. Ship provisioner Lachlan Rose found a way to preserve the juice with sugar instead of alcohol, creating a shelf-stable product he later branded Rose's Lime Juice Cordial.
Who first mixed that cordial with the navy's gin rations is less clear. Some credit Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette, a British naval surgeon; others trace the name to a ship's boring tool. As with most drinks this old, built on so simple a template of spirit, sugar, and citrus, a single origin point is hard to pin down.
