Finnginn's Favourite Festive Drinks: Number 1 - The Gimlet

Anticipation is better than reward. 

Cocktail hour in the Finnginn household is an established part of the weekend routine, and there’s no beating the thought of the sharp citrus hit of an ice cold lime green Gimlet. 

It's an easy cocktail to make as you can substitute a lime cordial for sugar syrup and fresh lime. 

(One of detective Philip Marlowe’s clients in Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye opines about the quality of the Gimlets in the cocktail bar they meet in, saying: “A real Gimlet should be half gin and half Rose’s lime juice and nothing else. It beats Martinis hollow.” )

The essential part of the process is to shake the mixture over ice. The key to making half-diluted gin palatable is temperature.

In my bartending days, I would "freeze" the glass by putting ice and soda water in it while I mixed a Martini in the Boston Tin. Good odds a drunk person would take a sip of water and look perplexed if I placed this on the front bar.

The Perfect Gimlet

Cold glass. Cold mix of gin and cordial (squeeze of lime to freshen it up). Angostura Bitters. Just don't try and hit the high FaLaLaLaLas at the Carol Service afterwards!

Teetotal Alternative

Lemon barley water - that'll be my 5pm drink for dry January. Got to get that sour hit somewhere!

Happy Xmas Everyone!

Thanks for reading and sharing your favourite drinks on the social media. It's been loads of fun. As usual I've overstretched myself with no planning, but it's been a great diversion from the grind of corporate copywriting.

Catch you in the New Year!