The recipe
for your table
Add the gin and lime cordial to a mixing glass or shaker with plenty of ice.
Stir for 25 seconds (classic and clear) or shake for 12 seconds (fresher and livelier).
Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora or coupe glass.
Squeeze a strip of lime zest over the glass and drop it in.
The story
The Gimlet owes its existence to the British Navy. To prevent scurvy, sailors were given concentrated lime juice from 1867 onward – Rose's Lime Juice, the world's first shelf-stable fruit cordial. Officers mixed it with their gin ration, creating a cocktail aboard ship that later found its way into London's elegant clubs. The name may refer to naval doctor Thomas Gimlette, or to the gimlet, the small hand drill used to tap barrels. Today, bartenders are making their own cordial again, with fresh lime.
The right glass
The Gimlet is served straight up and deserves a small, elegant stemmed glass. The Nick & Nora glass is a favorite: its tulip-shaped bowl keeps the cocktail colder for longer than a wide martini glass and brings the lime aroma beautifully to your nose. A capacity of 14 to 16 cl is just right for this compact recipe. A small coupe also looks wonderful with this clear, pale-green classic. If you prefer a classic V-shaped glass, take a look at our martini glasses.
RCR Melodia Nick & Nora glass 14 cl (6 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco Novecento Nick & Nora 15.5 cl (4 pieces)
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Variations & twists
Modern bars make their own cordial with herbs: basil, kaffir lime leaf, or ginger gives the Gimlet its own character. With vodka, it becomes a Vodka Gimlet, softer and more neutral. Shake in a few fresh mint leaves and you’re halfway to a Southside. Want more inspiration? Browse all 80 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Make your own cordial: heat equal parts sugar and lime juice with the zest, let it cool, and store it in the refrigerator. Freshly made, it is infinitely better than the bottled version.
The gin-to-lime-cordial ratio
Six centiliters of gin to 2 cl of lime cordial is a 3:1 ratio, which is the ratio most bars use. The nineteenth-century naval version reportedly leaned toward equal parts, which is far too sweet by modern standards. If you’re not using cordial, use 2 cl of fresh lime juice plus 2 cl of simple syrup; the drink will be slightly longer, so use a coupe of at least 15 cl. A robust, juniper-forward gin handles 3:1 perfectly well, while a softer modern gin calls for closer to 4:1.
Make your own lime cordial
Homemade cordial elevates this cocktail the most, and it takes fifteen minutes. Zest four limes, combine the zest with 200 grams of sugar, and let it stand for an hour so the oil infuses the sugar. Then add 200 milliliters of fresh lime juice, stir until everything has dissolved, and strain. You now have about 35 cl of cordial, enough for seventeen glasses. In a sealed bottle in the refrigerator, it will keep for two to three weeks. To store it longer, add half a teaspoon of citric acid; this also keeps the color fresher.
Stir or shake
Both are defensible, and the choice determines the character. Stirring, for about twenty-five seconds in a mixing glass, produces a clear, silky cocktail in which the gin clearly takes center stage. Shaking, for twelve seconds, adds air and tiny ice shards, resulting in a livelier, slightly cloudier, fresher drink. If you’re using fresh lime juice instead of cordial, shaking is almost always the better choice, because juice needs that aeration to integrate. With ready-made cordial and a classic London dry gin, stirring comes closest to the original served in the ship’s bar.
Gimlet, Vodka Gimlet or Daiquiri
The Gimlet and the Daiquiri are the same cocktail with a different base: gin versus white rum, with citrus and sugar balanced in both. Gin brings juniper and herbs, while rum brings vanilla and cane sugar, making the Gimlet crisper and the Daiquiri rounder. Replace the gin with vodka and it becomes a Vodka Gimlet: softer and more neutral, and therefore a good place to experiment with spiced cordials. All three work with roughly 3 parts spirit to 1 part sweet-and-sour, so you can switch between them easily.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Gimlet?
Gin and lime cordial—here, 6 cl gin to 2 cl cordial—finished with a squeezed-out strip of lime zest. If you don’t have cordial at home, use 2 cl fresh lime juice with 2 cl sugar syrup. This crisp gin classic really needs no more ingredients.
What is lime cordial, and can you make it yourself?
Lime cordial is concentrated, sweetened lime syrup, originally devised as a remedy for scurvy in the British Navy. Making it yourself is simple: heat equal parts sugar and fresh lime juice with a little zest, let it cool and store it in the refrigerator. Fresh tastes livelier than bottled.
Do you stir or shake a Gimlet?
Either works. Stirring for twenty-five seconds produces the classic, crystal-clear version with a silky texture; shaking for twelve seconds makes it fresher, livelier and slightly lighter. If you’re using homemade cordial with fresh lime in it, shaking usually works better.
What glass do you serve a Gimlet in?
In a 14 to 16 cl Nick and Nora glass. The tulip-shaped bowl keeps the cocktail colder for longer than a wide martini glass and directs the lime aroma toward your nose. A small coupe works too: see our Nick and Nora glasses.
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