Why a Gimlet wants lime cordial: the spec, fresh lime versus cordial, and a balance builder

A Gimlet is two ingredients that look too simple to argue about: gin and lime. Yet bartenders have been arguing about it for nearly a century, because the lime can be a sweetened shop cordial or fresh juice with sugar, and the two make different drinks. Both are right. The skill is knowing which one you are making and balancing it.

The spec

This is the common modern spec with a lime cordial. Specs vary, so treat it as a starting point and use the builder below to move it.

Shaking chills the drink and adds water, which softens the gin and links the flavours. A good shake adds roughly a fifth to a quarter of the starting volume as melted ice. Some classic books stir it instead, which works when the lime is a clear cordial because there is no juice to aerate. Most modern bars shake it.

What a cordial is, and where the drink comes from

A cordial is fruit juice preserved with sugar. Lime juice was carried on British ships to prevent scurvy, and Lauchlin Rose of Leith patented a way of keeping it with sugar rather than alcohol in 1867. That is the Rose's lime cordial many people still think of. The usual story is that naval officers mixed it with their gin, and the drink took its name from a small tool for tapping barrels, or perhaps from a naval surgeon named Gimlette. The surgeon story is unproven, so take it as a legend.

The first printed use of the word for this drink is generally dated to 1928. The 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book gives gin and lime cordial in equal parts. In Raymond Chandler's novel The Long Goodbye (1953), a character insists a real gimlet is half gin and half lime cordial, with nothing else. That is very sweet by today's taste, which is why most modern recipes use between two and four parts gin to one of cordial.

Balance it yourself

Pick cordial or fresh lime, then drag the slider. In fresh mode the sweetness comes from a rich 2:1 sugar syrup (two parts sugar to one part water) at half the lime volume. Watch the glass and the strength figure change. The numbers assume a 40% ABV gin and about a quarter extra water from shaking.

Why it works

Gin is dry, herbal and slightly bitter. Lime adds acid that wakes the juniper up, and sugar rounds the corners so the acid is pleasant rather than sharp. A cordial does both jobs in one bottle, and it is clear, which gives the old Gimlet its pale, glassy look. Fresh lime brings brighter, more floral acidity and a slight haze, but it needs its own sugar and tastes less like the drink you may remember.

The balance rule is the same as for any sour: sweetness to cover the acid, acid to lift the spirit. Cordials differ in sweetness and sharpness between brands, so taste and adjust in the glass. If the drink tastes flat, add a little more lime or cordial. If it tastes syrupy, add gin or a squeeze of fresh lime.

Make your own cordial

A simple homemade lime cordial uses roughly equal weights of sugar and strained lime juice, with some zest added. Stir until the sugar dissolves, strain, bottle and keep it in the fridge. Because the recipe has no preservative beyond sugar and acid, plan to use it within a week or two. Home cordials are usually fresher and sharper than shop versions, so you may want slightly less per drink.

Variations, including a low or no version

• Gimlet with soda: pour the shaken drink over ice and top with soda for a longer, lighter serve. This is close to the older “Gimblet” described in the 1930 Savoy book.
• Vodka Gimlet: swap in vodka for a cleaner, plainer drink. Many bars sell it under this name.
• Low and no: mix 20 ml of cordial with soda or tonic over ice and a lime wheel for a lime soda, or use an alcohol-free gin style for the base. Keep the cordial lower than in the full drink because there is no alcohol to balance it.

As with any cocktail, enjoy it in moderation. A single Gimlet is a full measure of gin, so if you are making them for friends, keep water and something alcohol-free on the table.