Okay, friend Vishal Dave brought this cocktail to a post-wedding-party for friends at our house. This is a drink that you don’t have to nurse, so everyone really liked that about it, in addition to its tasty drink-ability. I even had to buy a punch bowl that day to accommodate this drink (and you can see above that I haven’t found a nice punch bowl ladle yet – check out Goodwill for cheap punch bowls galore). Pimm’s Cup No. 1, although it would be great to call it ‘Pimp’s cup,’ is even more perfect for your grandmother’s ladies luncheon or afternoon gathering because it is very low in alcohol (50 Proof – 25% alcohol by volume and you don’t want your pimps or Grandma’s pimps to be too under the influence). It is really tasty but doesn’t taste too much like gin, but has a clean, subtle fruit flavor with just a slight spice-taste!
Have you heard about Pimm’s and always wondered what it was? We had. Pimm’s Cup No. 1 is a gin-based drink with quinine (quinine has medicinal qualities) and herbs that was first produced in 1893 originally as a digestif in England. Pimm’s is even one of the staple drinks at Wimbledon and at many polo matches (kind a’ high class I guess).
Pimm’s Cocktail Variations:
- Pimm’s on the rocks in a Collins glass, sometimes with fruit garnishes
- Pitcher of Pimm’s- British Sangria when they serve it in a pitcher with lots of fruit.
- Zin Cup pairs Pimm’s w/ red zinfandel and ginger beer
- Two Islands Cup pairs Pimm’s w/ Irish whiskey, along with house-made lemon soda and chunks of honeydew
- Creole Shrub Cup pairs Pimm’s w/a rum-based orange liqueur and a salad of mint, strawberries, cucumber, and orange and lemon slices
Pimm’s Cup No.1-6 Variations:
- No. 1 Cup: Gin-based
- No. 2 Cup: Scotch whiskey-based
- No. 3 Cup: Brandy-based
- No. 4 Cup: Rum-based
- No. 5 Cup: Rye-based
- No. 6 Cup: Vodka-based
Pimm’s Cup Cocktail Recipe
- Ice cubes
- 4 lemon slices
- 4 cucumber slices
- 1 cup seltzer or lemon-lime soda (OR Ginger ale or club soda)
- 1 cup lemonade
- 3 cups Pimm’s No. 1 Cup
Freeze an ice block for your punch bowl in advance. You could even add lemon slices to it for beauty.
Slice up cucumbers and lemons for the punch bowl. Then pour in the seltzer, lemonade and Pimm’s. Stir to combine. Double the recipe for larger punch bowls.
