Gin, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup — the stripped-back sour with a Navy history and a Raymond Chandler mystique.
The Gimlet's origins lie in the Royal Navy's practice of supplying sailors with Rose's Lime Juice Cordial — lime juice preserved with sugar, which prevented scurvy without going off. Mixed with the Navy's gin ration, it became the Gimlet. Lauchlin Rose patented the cordial in 1867, and the drink was born.
Raymond Chandler immortalised it in 'The Long Goodbye' (1953), where Philip Marlowe and his friend Terry Lennox drink Gimlets together: 'A real Gimlet is half gin and half Rose's Lime Juice and nothing else. It beats martinis hollow.' The modern version with fresh lime is different — sharper and brighter — but Chandler's ratio still has its advocates.
Use Rose's Lime Cordial instead of fresh lime and simple syrup — ½ oz cordial to 2 oz gin. Sweeter and more viscous. The original.
Replace simple syrup with elderflower liqueur (St-Germain). The floral notes complement gin botanicals beautifully.
Replace gin with vodka for a cleaner, less botanical version. Popular in 1990s wine bars. Nothing wrong with it.