I enjoy making a cocktails to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Usually it involves Irish whiskey or beer. This year I’m sharing a Gimlet recipe that’s pale green (thanks to the key lime juice) and made with Irish gin.
It’s unclear where the Gimlet got its name. Perhaps it’s named for British Royal Navy surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette (1857-1943) who is said to have added lime juice to gin to prevent scurvy or for the tool used to drill small holes which shares the name. It’s been around since at least the 1920s and originally called for gin to be mixed with Rose’s Lime Juice. Given that Rose’s is now made with high fructose corn syrup, many use fresh lime juice along with simple syrup (which is ‘simply’ sugar and water).
I went for the modern approach with a twist (yes, a bit of citrus humor). Instead I used Key limes. Key limes are much smaller than Persian limes (what we know as regular limes). They are also less tart and more floral in flavor. I did some research on the best way to get juice from them as I was certain that an electric citrus juicer wasn’t going to be very effective (it turns out I was right about this based on what I read). One suggestion was to use a potato ricer (think large garlic press) and add two to three sliced limes at a time. I tried it and it failed to yield much juice. So then I tried my dual citrus squeezer – placing the small limes in the larger lime area and that worked great. 12 ounces of Key limes yielded about two-thirds of a cup of juice.
Now onto how to make this drink Irish? My brother, Geoff T, introduced me to Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin at Christmas. It’s made with Asian botanicals and gunpowder tea – hence the name. Pictured below is their traditional blue bottle but you may have seen their special edition bottle which is white ceramic with blue painted botanicals (it’s quite lovely). This gin has a great flavor profile (beyond the essential) juniper of citrus and green tea. If you’re serving it with tonic, try a slice of grapefruit rather than lime. This is just one of the Irish gins on the market. To learn more, check out Irish Gin Is Having Its Botanical Moment on Liquor.com.
I served this ‘up’ in our new Nick and Nora glasses (think cross between a coupe and martini glass), but you can also serve over ice in a rocks glass.
Of course you can make this using non-Irish gin and traditional lime juice. “Slàinte Mhath” (“Good Health”) to all!
| Key Lime Gimlet | Print |
- 2 ounces gin, preferabley Irish
- 1 ounce Key lime juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ ounce simple syrup (see Notes)
- Garnish: Key lime wheel
- Chill glasses of choice in the freezer for a few minutes or add ice cubes to them. Discard ice cubes prior to filling the glass.
- Fill a shaker with ice and add gin, Key lime juice and simple syrup. Shake until chilled.
- Strain into a chilled coupe or Nick and Nora glass (if serving ‘up’) or into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
- Garnish with a Key lime slice.
* If you have extra lime juice, freeze it for a future cocktail.
SIMPLE SYRUP
1 cup (8 ounces) water
1 cup granulated sugar
Bring the water to a simmer in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and stir until it completely dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Pour the syrup into a clean 1-pint bottle, cap it and refrigerate it until needed. Makes 1½ cups and keeps two months or longer in the refrigerator.
Love the distinction between key limes and Persian limes on this wonderfully descriptive recipe, Nicole! And I’m going to have to scour our local stores for that delectable Irish gin. Inspired by you yet again!
Spenser – Thank you! Yes, all limes are not created equal. Good luck on your gin search.