The Gimlet: History and Recipe
Before I explain my twist on the classic sailor’s cocktail, let’s have a history lesson. It’s probably inadvisable to start a delicious recipe considering a hideous disease… yet this is what we shall do!
In 1740, Commodore George Anson embarked upon a global voyage with a fleet of 8 ships. Of his 1854 crew, only 188 survived the four-year circumnavigation; hundreds of men had been lost to scurvy- the scourge of sailors since seafaring began.
James Lind (1716-1794), a man who clearly wanted people to know he was well into books.. The 18th century equivalent of a Zoom call with your bookshelves in the background.
An estimated 2 million sailors died of this disease between 1500 and 1800 AD, with bleeding gums, slow-healing wounds and internal haemorrhaging. The earliest record of these symptoms dates back to 1550 BC, and various interventions had been tried over the years, including the use of oranges and lemons. The first person to conduct a properly controlled experiment into its treatment, however, was Scottish doctor and naval medic James Lind, in the wake of the catastrophic Anson circumnavigation. Working aboard the HMS Salisbury, he divided 12 patients into six groups of two, administered different remedies and then compared the results. Of just two groups showing signs of recovery, those served citrus fruit had improved the most.
Neither Lind nor the prevailing medical establishment considered the use of citrus fruits to be the sole remedy, nor had they truly determined the cause- we now know scurvy to be caused by a deficiency in vitamin C, but the concept of ‘vitamins’ was not proposed until 1912. However his results were convincing enough for an increasing number of ships to ensure a supply of oranges, lemons and limes for their crew. In the year of Lind’s death, 1794, the navy issued lemon juice to HMS Suffolk for its non-stop voyage to India. When the ship arrived having suffered no serious cases of scurvy, the navy began to ensure its whole fleet was issued with lemon and lime juice- preserved using 15% rum, and leading to British sailors coming to be known as ‘limeys’.
Fast forward to 1867, Lauchlan Rose patented a way of preserving lime juice without alcohol- creating the world’s first mass-produced fruit concentrate, which he called Rose’s Lime Juice- and making fruit drinks less fun all round. Resourceful sailors continued to make lime juice less bitter by adding rum to make ‘grog’, but in the officers’ mess, a rarer, more elegant spirit was being employed- gin.
The first recorded use of the name ‘gimlet’ is in 1928, thought to be a reference to a hole-boring tool whose name had come to be associated with anything piercing. A more romantic theory is that the drink was invented by Naval officer and doctor, Sir Thomas Gimlette. Either way, the recipe for this delicious drink is described in the legendary Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) as half Gin, half Rose’s cordial. Tastes change over time, and the modern drinker’s palette tends to be less sweet, so a standard Gimlet is now 2 parts gin to 1 part cordial, with Rose’s still being the traditional choice.
The Captain’s Gimlet
The Captain’s Gimlet
In the spirit of Lind’s scientific endeavours, in my quest to update this classic and historic cocktail, I rigorously experimented with a variety of lime cordials to find the perfect mix of freshness and tradition. I am delighted to bring you my take on the gimlet, using Belvoir’s cordial, for an unprocessed taste and the uplifting zing of lemongrass
50 ml Dry Gin
25ml Belvoir Lime and Lemongrass Cordial
Ice
Wedge of lime
Put two large ice cubes into a cocktail shaker.
Add the gin and the cordial.
Stir until condensation has formed on the outside of the shaker.
Strain mix into a martini glass.
Add wedge of lime.
Sit down.
Add company or reading.
Enjoy.