Cocktail No 69 - Gimlet

The ridiculously easy cocktail to make is very refreshing on a summers day. It has a naval origin to prevent scurvy.

The Gimlet was promoted and drunk by British officers back in the 19th Century. Citrus juice was a gift from the Gods to sailors, as it prevented them from catching scurvy – a brutal, painful and sometimes deadly disease brought about by vitamin C deficiency.

Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette (served 1879 – 1913) is cited by some as the namesake of the Gimlet. Acting as a doctor to sailors, he administered gin with lime in order to mask the bitter taste. Allegedly, he introduced this to his shipmates to help them swallow down the lime juice as an anti-scurvy medication. British sailors, So great was the consumption of this ‘medicine’ by British sailors that they became known as “Limeys”.

Another credible etymological story is that the concoction was named after the hand tool, which was used to bore into barrels of spirits on Navy ships – a gimlet.

The lime juice comes through very sweet and strong - perhaps cut back on the volume if this isn't to your taste. The gin is masked, but comes through as an aftertaste. The soda gives the slightest fizz making this all in all very refreshing. 

Recipe.

50 ml Birkdale Gin
25 mls Lime cordial
Soda water

Put ice in mixing glass with gin and lime juice. Stir well and strain into a cocktail glass. Add a shot of soda.

Cocktail no 68 - Eton Blazer

It helps if you like Kirsch, that fiery eau de vie made from morello cherries & their stones. The Kirsch is the dominant taste, with the lemon undercutting it and highlighting that unique sour cherry flavour. The gin follows as an afterthought, with the sugar syrup compensating for the tartness of the lemon juice. The soda gives some bubbles and dilution that prevents these very strong flavours being over-powering.

It is incredible refreshing and perfect for a hot summers afternoon as we have today and the Cherries are even better after their soak in the drink

Certainly worth adding to your to-try list.

Recipe

25 ml Birkdale Gin
25 ml Kirsch
15 ml Lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar syrup
Soda water
2 cocktail cherries

Place ice, Birkdale Gin, Kirsch, lemon juice and sugar syrup in a tumbler. Stir, then top up with soda water. decorate with cherries.

Cocktail No 67 - French Cocktail

With the French in a historic vote today for they next President it is apt that this is the next cocktail in the sequence.

Two fo my favourite drinks - Pastis & Gin - and they go wonderfully well together. There is fire from both the gin and the pastis. The aniseed in the pastis lifts the licorice in the gin. The grenadine is markedly sweet, for such a small amount added and the colour intensity is quite dizzying in its strawberry red intensity as well as clarity.

Take a large swallow - the fire starts in the top of the throat at the back of the mouth and then travels forward across the roof, with the flavours developing and the gin-aniseed combo growing in intensity. Its a drink to "fight" with as the flavours are uncompromising, which is my kind of drink.

If you don't like pastis, you definitely will not like this one, but if you do, its a winner.

Recipe

1 part Birkdale Gin
3/4 part Pastis (or Pernod, Ricard)
1 teaspoon Grenadine

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Enjoy.