American novelist Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe is one of the most recognizable antiheroes of literature. The world-weary, hard-drinking private eye is the quintessential detective of American noir. Philip, a tortured and misunderstood soul, never met a gimlet he didn’t like. Marlowe did for the gimlet what James Bond did for the martini. Curiously, despite the drink’s strong association with the author, it appears only in his penultimate novel, The Long Goodbye, released in 1953. Perhaps no one has captured the true essence of a gimlet better: “What they call a gimlet is just some lime or lemon juice and gin with a dash of sugar and bitters. A real gimlet is half gin and half Rose’s Lime Juice and nothing else.” The story of the gimlet cocktail — a mix of gin and lime juice cordial — can be traced back to 1879, when the Surgeon General of the British Royal Navy, Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette, prescribed his sailors a mixture of gin with lime juice to help prevent scurvy. The name of the cocktail is believed to be a derivative of Sir Thomas’ last name. The drink later made a resurgence in popularity in Hong Kong around the time of WWI, and turned into the “go-to” cocktail of the Roaring ‘20s. In present day, a new generation of bartenders has ushered in renewed appreciation for this classic libation.
Cue The Cocktails
Katsuya, South Beach
Shishito Gimlet Cocktail
Ingredients: Patrón Silver Tequila, Ancho Reyes Verde, shishito & cantaloupe melon balls
Biltmore Bar, Coral Gables
The Classic Gimlet
Ingredients: Plymouth Gin, Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial, & muddled mint
Rusty Pelican, Key Biscayne
The Rusty Gimlet
Ingredients: St. George Botanivore Gin, Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial & fresh lime juice
Say What? “The Gimlet is the perfect example of a classic cocktail — citrus and aromatic. It should be a staple of any bar. It’s timeless, with a history that dates back to British sailors in the 1800s. It’s a verified quintessential classic!”
— Oscar Amaya, Beverage Director, Rusty Pelican
