Every day when I come home from work I gravitate toward my selection of various brands of gin to cleanse out all of my work related thoughts. I firmly believe that there is no better staple drink than a good G&T. Not too much ice and not too little. Lemon or lime depends on the brand? A generous dose of whichever bottle has caught my eye, and a good measure of tonic to complete the magical elixir. BUT, every now and then I look for something different (I ran out of tonic) and it is because of this need for something different (I ran out of tonic) that I get reminded of some of the other wonderful liquors that we take for granted and that have lasted the test of time.
Today I was reminded of the wonderful & refreshing beverage that the English bestowed upon us back in 1840 - Pimm’s No. 1. To be honest, I was bloody grateful I had a bottle sitting in my bar. After an extremely hot day at work I felt that fate (I ran out of tonic) had guided me to this delicious & refreshing beverage.
For over 150 years, Pimm’s No. 1 has been one of England’s most stylish pleasures. Pimm’s is a gin-based drink, infused with aromatics including numerous herbs, fruit extracts and quinine. It is typically mixed with lemonade. It was first mixed as a digestive tonic by James Pimm and was initially only served at Mr. Pimm’s oyster bar in London’s financial district. Pimm’s today is still made to the original recipe which remains a closely guarded secret known only to six people.
Add lemon or orange or cucumber, or all three to a glass, splash in about 45ml of Pimm’s, fill with ice and top with lemonade or dry ginger. It is only 25% ABV and goes well with cucumber sandwiches & polo! All jokes aside it is a very good drink for most occasions and suits up well with hot days or as a pre-dinner drink.
Next time you go to a BBQ, take a bottle of Pimm’s and enjoy the feeling.
By the way, I have a bottle in my bar and always will.
