The Best Gimlet is a Cucumber Gimlet

Cucumber gimlet cocktails are the pinnacle of cool – at least to me. They’re really one of the classic cocktails, just with a twist. These refreshing cocktails constantly pop up as the weather warms up and the sun emerges for those long summer days in San Francisco. So, I can’t help but have all the fuzzies when I sip this cucumber and mint gimlet cocktail. The best part? This simple drink with bright flavor profiles is made from part sugar, mint,  muddled cucumber, and smooth gin for a crisp, refreshing take on a classic gin gimlet. It’s just oh-so-easy to make and really a darn great gimlet. Plus, they feel like a spa in a glass, and who doesn’t love feeling like they are at a spa? Want to get in on this refreshing, simple ingredients cocktail? 

The Best Gimlet: a Brief History

There’s a theory that the Gimlet was named after the  Navy surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette of the British Royal Navy in the late 1800s until his passing in October of 1943. He served them on long voyages and allegedly served these drinks on navy ships to induce his messmates to take lime juice as an anti-scurvy medication. The rumor goes that scurvy was rampant on navy ships then, so a gin gimlet cocktail would be prescribed, often cured in leftover jam jars cracked rocks glass, or a mason. Gin rations were short then so the gin could be substituted for a vodka.

Prep Time:

• Prep 10 minutes
• Prepare 5 min
• Total Time: 15 minutes

Fresh Ingredients:

• Cucumber
• Bunch of Mint
• Lime
• Dry Gin such as Hendrix’s Gin or Bombay Sapphire 
• Sugar or simple sugar / simple syrup
• Fresh citrus lime wedge, lime slices, or lime wheel to garnish
• Cucumber wheel to garnish

Gin Gimlet Recipes Direction 

There are a ton of ways to make this cocktail. Mixing cocktails isn’t too hard as long as you have a shaker. The real trick is shaking the ingredients together in your shaker hard enough to crystalize the alcohol and infusing the muddled elements into the cocktail. Most popular cocktails are prepared this way and served over a chilled cocktail glass. Be sure you be sure to use the top of the shaker to strain out any bits?

How to Prepare This Classic Cocktail With a Twist

• Make fresh lime juice from one lemon and one lime – I use this juicer to make it super easy.
• In a cocktail shaker, mash (muddle) 1/4 cucumber, 3-4 mint leaves, and a spoonful of sugar until combined.
• Fill the shaker with ice and those citrus juices—ideally lime juice and 4 oz gin. Cap your shaker.
• Shake for 15-30 seconds until ingredients are fully chilled and ice crystals form
• Strain the cocktail into a chilled up/martini glass.
• Garnish with a slice of lime and cucumber with a sprig of mint
• Splash with 1 Part water (a splash of water)

Serve in my favorite chilled coupe glass with savory sweet pasta and summer salad. Ideally, on a shaded patio outside in the sun. You won’t regret it. If you loved this cocktail, you will also love this rosemary gin fizz. Enjoy that first sip and cheers to spring. More importantly, cheers to you! 

Other Gimlet Cocktail Recipes

If you want to try a popular drink like the Gimlet but with a different take, try a traditional French Gimlet that uses lime or even a Basil that is the same as a French one but with muddled basil for a fresh, evergreen note.

• French Gimlet Recipe
• Tequila Gimlet Recipe
• Basil Gimlet Recipe

Commonly Asked Questions

What is the difference between Tom Collins and Gimlet?

A Tom Collins cocktail is made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and club soda, whereas a gimlet is made with gin, lime juice, and simple syrup. Therefore, the most significant difference is that a Tom Collins uses club soda and lemons, whereas a gimlet calls for lime juice and no soda.

What is the history of Gimlet?

The first recorded use of the name ‘gimlet’ was in 1928, and it was 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 Naval officer and doctor Sir Thomas Gimlette, invented the drink.

What is gimlet known for?

‘What they call a gimlet is just some lime or lemon juice and gin with a dash of sugar and bitters. A real gimlet is half gin, half Rose’s Lime Juice, and nothing else. It beats Martini’s hollow.

What is the formula for a gimlet?

The classic gimlet recipe is a shaken mix of 2 ounces of gin, 1 ounce of cordial, and 3/4 ounces of fresh lime juice, which cuts through the tart, sweet rose’s lime cordial.

What is the best gin for a gin, Gimlet?

A good choice is a dry gin London-style like Tanqueray, Beefeater London, Plymouth Gin, or Gordon’s. Save your more delicate or aromatic gins, like Hendrick’s, for spare cocktails like a Martini, where those subtleties can be appreciated.

Do you shake or stir Gimlet?

The Gimlet is classically stirred, but once you’ve added fresh citrus juice (unless you’ve clarified your juice), even if stirred, this cocktail will be more complex. 

How do you order a Gimlet at a bar?

The simplest way to order a Gimlet, is to say,  “I’d like a vodka (or gin) Gimlet up.” You can go ahead and specify what glass you’d prefer.