A home bar ingredient that’s ubiquitous in Britain but less well known abroad is Pimm’s. This delicious fruit and gin-based drink is the basis of the iconic Pimm’s Cup cocktail and deserves to be better known for its refreshing, bright flavors and its ease of use.
While it’s most typically mixed with lemonade and fresh fruit to create a fruit salad-like drink that’s perfect for summer, it has other uses in cocktails as well. Here are a few of our favorite Pimm’s cocktail recipes.
Copper Canvas
Hailing from the tremendous bar scene of NOLA, this drink blends flavored gin with Grand Marnier, Pimm’s, cucumber, and sparkling wine. It’s a favorite at the Peacock Room.
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce Mlafy Blood Orange Gin
- 1/4 ounce Pimm’s
- 1/4 ounce Grand Marnier
- 5 ounces cucumber syrup
- 1/2 ounce lime acid
- Cava to top
Method
- Shake all ingredients except Cava with ice in tin.
- Stain into a Nick and Nora glass and top with Cava.
- Garnish with cucumber flower.
Champagne Safari
This recipe from Hot Tin takes advantage of the color and complementary flavors of Pimm’s and Aperol, along with the refreshing nature of cucumber, citrus, and sparkling wine.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 ounces gin
- 3/4 ounce Pimm’s No.1
- 1/2 ounce Aperol
- 1/2 ounce cucumber-lemon shrub
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice
- Sparkling wine to top
Method
- Shake and strain gin, Pimm’s, Aperol, cucumber-lemon shrub, and lemon juice into a
coupe glass. - Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a cucumber wheel.
Pimm’s Cup Italiano
We adore this Italian spin on a classic Pimm’s Cup recipe, fit with the one-of-a-kind bitter kick of Fernet.
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce Fernet-Branca
- 1 ounce Pimm’s No. 1
- Ginger ale
- Sliced cucumbers, lemon, mint, and strawberry
Method
- Pour Fernet-Branca and Pimms No. 1 in a glass over crushed ice
- Top with ginger ale and garnish with sliced cucumbers, lemon, mint, and strawberry.
Louisiana Harvest
On the menu at Bayou Bar, this drink takes on the lively aromatics of additional gin and treats them to the liqueur, along with the age-old pairing of strawberry and rhubarb.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces gin
- 3/4 ounce Pimm’s No. 1
- 3/4 ounce strawberry cucumber shrub
- 3/4 ounce lemon juice
- 3 dashes rhubarb bitters
Method
- Mix in a shaker, strain in Collins glass, and garnish with strawberry cucumber shrub.
What is Pimm’s?
Think of it as a fruit cup for adults. Pimm’s is built around dry gin, with the liquid infused by a number of herbs and fruit juices. Given the refreshing nature of the liqueur, it does well with fresh fruit and carbonated toppers, often teamed up with things like lemonade or ginger ale.
It’s a great-looking bottle that belongs in your home bar setup. After some mixing and matching, you’ll find that the satisfying liqueur pairs up with a lot of popular bar ingredients and can even add a little extra pizazz to some classic cocktail recipes.
What are the different Pimm’s Cups?
Most recipes for Pimm’s, and by far the most common type that you’ll see in bars or in shops, is called Pimm’s Cup No.1. This is the gin-based fruit cup that’d the basis of the Pimm’s Cup drink. But you might reasonably wonder — why is it called No.1? Are there other types of Pimm’s out there?
The short answer is yes, though you don’t often see them. Pimm’s No.2 was based on Scotch instead of gin, though it’s no longer in production. Pimm’s No.3 is based on brandy, and is one that you do see occasionally, especially for mixing into warm drinks for the winter. No.4 and No.5 were based on dark rum and rye whiskey respectively, and they are no longer available, either. No.6 is based on vodka, and it has a small but passionate following, but has gone in and out of production over the years. And finally, there was a very rare No.7 based on tequila.
You’ll also occasionally see other Pimm’s products like Pimm’s Winter Cup (based on Pimm’s No.3) and Pimm’s Vodka Cup (based on Pimm’s No.6). And the brand has been known to put out special releases like blackberry or strawberry flavors.
A brief history of Pimm’s
Pimm’s came to prominence around the mid-19th Century in the United Kingdom. Like so many liqueurs of the time, Pimm’s was billed to have health benefits and was made with number of botanicals. Legend has it that an oyster bar owner named James Pimm created the elixir in 1823.
It has since gone on to form the base for many a fruity and relatively low-ABV drinks in Europe and beyond. These are excellent thirst quenchers for summer that won’t leave you feeling groggy.
How to use Pimm’s
Pimm’s is nimble and can be the star in way more than just a Pimm’s Cup. Bartenders like to mix it with everything from sparkling wine to apple juice or sweet wines like Sangria. Because there’s such an emphasis on fruit, it’s fun to go nuts with the garnishes. We suggest skewered ingredients like grapes and melon bouquets of mint, or various citrus twists.
