Archive for the ‘Gin Gimlet’ tag
The Gimlet and the Green Mill
The Gimlet was my first foray into big girl cocktails. It taught me that alcohol wasn’t (entirely) meant to be consumed from plastic cups in someone’s dorm room…
After college, I lived down the block from Chicago’s iconic Green Mill, an old Capone hangout, and a really great jazz bar. A serious establishment that, I felt, demanded a serious cocktail. My novice attempt at “serious” was to order a martini — straight up. It almost killed me. I was 22 and had heard about martinis, had seen martinis (mainly in the Thin Man movies), but did not realize martinis were solid vodka, and an acquired taste.
Luckily, the Green Mill’s no-nonsense bartender was a highly trained professional. He watched my seizure-inducing fist sip, laughed, and rescued me with a vodka gimlet. (A drink that, to my untrained eye, seemed remarkably similar to the one I had just choked on.) Using almost the same ingredients, the bartender tweaked the flavor profile by adding the Gimlet’s signature ingredient, Roses’ Lime. I was amazed that such a small adjustment could transform a drink so completely. The cocktail, still elegant in its up glass, now had a subtly, tart sweetness that cut through the chilled vodka making it far more palatable. In an instant I went from being overwhelmed by bold alcohol, to having a new “go to drink” that was sophisticated, but simple enough to order at any bar.
These days I live in LA, appreciate a well-made martini, and prefer my gimlets with gin, fresh lime, and homemade simple syrup. But I recognize that the Green Mill Gimlet was my gateway cocktail, and my introduction to mixology as conversation.
Gimlet
2 oz. Vodka or Gin
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup*
1/2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice*
(*Or substitute 1 oz. Roses’ Lime juice for Syrup and Lime Juice)
Pour ingredients into a Boston Shaker over ice
Shake until chilled
Strain into a martini glass
Garnish with a lime
