Whether or not you have had the pleasure of sipping one for yourself while somewhere in the UK, you’ve no doubt at least heard of the liqueur Pimm’s. Created by a local oyster bar owner in London, offered as a digestive aid after dinner, this gin based concoction with its mix of secret herbs & liquors, quickly grew into a town favorite. The beauty to Pimm’s & more specifically Pimm’s Cup No.1, is the simplicity with which one can craft their own Pimm’s Cup recipe & its universal likability, even by someone like me for example, who does not like gin {it doesn’t taste of gin} at all.
My husband and I enjoy Pimm’s Cup No.1 so much in fact that it was our very own specialty cocktail at our wedding. To say it went over well would be the understatement of the year. Our small wedding of only 100 people shocked the hell out of our bar service with the sheer amount it was consumed period never mind above anything else at our wedding! If you ask me the reason for its popularity is two fold. Firstly, as Americans, the only time we are really exposed to adult beverages with floating fruits {cups for the UK crowd} is either in sugary over sweet rum punches or Sangrias which is wine based and not for everyone. Not so in the least with Pimm’s which has a crisp refreshing flavor with hints of those herbs that made it so special to start with. Secondly, it is indeed down right drinkable to put it plainly. While there are many different ways to skin a cat, today we are talking about the good ol’traditional Pimm’s Cup No.1 recipe which is wonderfully simple with no hard and fast rules.
What You’ll Need:
1 Bottle Pimm’s Cup No.1
{Dealer’s Choice} Lemonade {sparkling or flat}, ginger ale, or some form of citrus soda
Strawberries, Lemon, Lime, Cucumber, & Mint
*For this shoot I made a single glass, however making Pimm’s Cup in large batches is wonderfully simple. The ratio of Pimm’s to soda mixer is 3:1
Cut all your fruit into slices, quarters if your feeling fancy. There is no hard and fast rule here, so however the fruit spirit moves you will be perfect. Just be sure the fruit is indeed in pieces and not chunks. The cut fruit will not get muddled for Pimm’s cup as we see in a lot of other ‘fruit’ drinks. Here the cut fruit serves to slowly impart its flavors into the mix, allowing the cocktail to evolve & become more dynamic with each sip.
Once fruit is cut & mint pulled from its stems, fill your glass, or large batch serving container with the cut fruit & mint. There is no set number of fruits to cut, or pieces to have in a drink. The more fruit you involve, the more of their flavor will come forward. When serving in something like a beverage dispenser, you might want to up your fruit game for the visual appeal. If serving out of a pitcher, add plenty of fruit as pieces will flow into each new drink poured from it.
As I noted just under what you’ll need, Pimm’s is a rule of thirds, single glass or large batch. If you are making it by the glass, fill your glass 1/3 with Pimm’s to 3 parts of your mixer. In the case of large batches, 1 cup Pimm’s for every 3 cups of mixer. Rinse & repeat until you have filled the volume of your serving container.
Regarding mixers, ginger ale is commonly used here in the states, but personally I find it overly sweet for this cocktail. Recently I have stumbled upon a mix of 3 mixers from Polar that imparts just the right level of sweetness & citrus to pair with the Pimm’s. I recommend Polar‘s: Half & Half, Tom Collins, & Diet Ginger ale. When making large batches, I use 1 cup of each, to fill my 3 cups need of mixer.
Once your Pimm’s Cup is in its glass, garnish with cucumber spears and a sprig of fresh mint as a topper. I promise this Pimm’s cup recipe will delight everyone, and you’ll be thrilled at making something so well received. Simple, refreshing & delightful, its pretty much the ultimate leisure time cocktail!
Pimm’s Cup Recipe:
50 ml Pimm’s Cup No.1
150 ml {Dealer’s Choice} Lemonade {sparkling or flat}, ginger ale, or some form of citrus soda
1 Quart Strawberries
3-4 Lemon
3-4 Lime
2-3 Cucumber
Parcel of Mint
Cut fruit into a mix of slices & quarters and pull mint leaves from stems. Fill beverage container with a mix of fruit & mint. {If making large batches, I suggest adding ice to the glass the drink is poured in, do not add ice to the overall mixture as it will water down the entire mix} Add 50 ml of Pimm’s Cup No.1, add 150 ml of mixer. Garnish with cucumber spears & a sprig of fresh mint!