The Pimm's Cup is an incredibly refreshing English cocktail (often enjoyed during Wimbledon) that can be spruced up in all sorts of delicious ways.
If there is one drink you add to your summer rotation this year make it a Pimm's Cup.
Bubbly lemon soda meets the light herbal flavors of Pimm's No. 1, and by the time you finish muddling in strawberries and cucumber you've got yourself a real "patio pounder".
Just like the Mint Julip is synonymous with the Kentucky Derby in the States, the Pimm's Cup is the drink of the Wimbledon tennis tournament. They're slurped down by the thousands and it isn't too hard to see why.
Let's get on with the good stuff.
What is Pimm's?
Pimm's No. 1 is an English gin based liqueur that's flavored with a secret combination of herbal botanicals, orange, and spices, and of course you want to know...
What does Pimm's taste like?
It has a mild combination of dark sugar flavor, candied oranges and fruitcake with a light herbal background. A slight sweetness highlights some subtle hints of red fruits and an overall mild herbal quality.
You can grab some here on Drizly.
NOTE: you can store Pimm's at room temperature for a long time because of it's 25% alcohol by volume.
What lemon soda should you use?
If you see a British version of the recipe you will see it call for lemonade, but it IS NOT what you think of if you're from the US.
What they are talking about is what people in the U.S. would call lemon soda, and using a typical lemonade will yield an overly sweet and disappointingly flat cocktail.
Grab a high quality lemon soda such as Fever Tree, Fentiman's, or San Pellegrino Limonata, and stay clear of fountain options like 7-up or Sprite.
You can also use ginger beer for a bold spicy variation.
Part of what makes this recipe fun is the ability to customize it to your liking.
There are tons of different ingredients you could add as flavor modifiers leaving room for experimentation.
Which ingredients do you add?
There are a few ingredients that come up in recipes consistently, and then there are some more unique ones that pop up occasionally.
I enjoy it with strawberry and cucumber, but here are a few other ideas:
The standards: cucumber, lemon, strawberry, and mint
More unique: apples, celery, and other berries
Whatever ingredients you choose, there is one technique I strongly suggest for making a great Pimm's Cup...
The secret to the best Pimm's Cup
Muddle the fruit!
Often it's made by simply adding slices of fruit to the glass with the Pimm's, and soda, but you don't get much flavor that way.
By the time the fruit flavor infuses the drink it's all but gone.
!
If there is one thing you get from this recipe it should be muddling your fruit, I think it makes a flavorful difference.
After muddling the fruit in a shaker tin with the Pimm's strain the liquid into your cocktail glass, top with soda, and garnish.
Using a few sliced pieces and fruit is a nice way to get a delicious smell with every sip you take. A really great touch.
Try not to skip the mint if you can help it.
And that's it, easy and delicious.
Pimm's Cup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 oz Pimm's No. 1
- 4 oz Quality Lemon Soda
- 3 slices Cucumber - 1/4 inch thick
- 2 Strawberries
- 3 slices Lemon
- 1 sprig Mint
Instructions
- Slice three wheels of both lemon and cucumber.
- Slice the strawberries into halves and place into your shaker along with the cucumber slices and Pimm's.
- Give the cucumber and strawberries a strong muddle.
- Strain the liquid into a collins glass with ice.
- Top with the lemon soda and garnish with lemon wheels, mint sprig, and more fruit if you'd like.
Notes
Share a Pimm's Cup!
There's plenty of room for customizing a Pimm's Cup to create different variations. Highly recommended for combating hot summer days.
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Great job!
Greetings from Montréal,
rabo.de.galo