Aviation
45 ml Gin, 15 ml Maraschino liqueur, 15 ml Lemon juice, 7.5 ml Crème de violette, 1 Maraschino cherry
Photo: A Gimlet cocktail (Isla Holbox) by Bruno Rijsman · CC BY-SA 2.0 · All credits
Ingredients
Measures below are multiplied for 6 drinks. Unmeasurable amounts such as “a splash” are left as written.
- 360 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 360 ml line. Gin
- 120 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 120 ml line. Lime juice
- 90 ml Jigger One large side (50 ml) and one small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus a tablespoon. Simple syrup - Leave it out if you use Rose's lime cordial instead of fresh juice
- 6 wedges Lime wedge (optional)
Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.
What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.
Quick version
- Stir or shake gin, lime and syrup, then strain into a chilled glass.
Method
Pitcher (6 drinks)Pitcher (6 drinks) - about 570 ml of measured ingredients, before ice and dilution.
Timings and per-glass steps below are written for one drink and are not scaled. A full jug takes longer to chill, so stir or shake until it is properly cold rather than by the clock, and pour over fresh ice one glass at a time.
- Add the gin, lime juice and syrup to a shaker or a mixing glass.
- Shake it if you like a cloudy, lively drink; stir it for 25 seconds if you prefer it clear and silky.
- Strain into a chilled coupe, or over ice in a rocks glass.
- Add a lime wedge and mean it.
Serve it
Volumes in this story are multiplied for the size above, along with the ingredients. Years, ratios and the capacities of glasses and jugs are left as written.
Gimlet
The Royal Navy's answer to scurvy was lime juice, and a sailor's answer to lime juice was gin. Officers got the good stuff and the two met in a glass, which is how a medicine turned into a drink. The name is either a drill bit or a naval surgeon called Gimlette, depending on who is telling the story, and nobody is likely to settle it now.
Getting it right
This is a ratio, not a recipe, so it is worth making one and adjusting it to your own lime: freshly squeezed juice varies enormously. Traditionalists use lime cordial, which is much sweeter and much more forgiving; if you go that way, skip the syrup and use 150ml of cordial. Stirred is the genteel option, shaken is the one that gets the drink ready faster.
Tasting notes
Sharp, clean and bracing, with the gin coming through the lime rather than hiding behind it. Made properly it is the most refreshing strong drink in the cabin - made carelessly it is a mouthful of pine disinfectant, so taste as you go.
More Gin cocktails
Bee's Knees
50 ml Gin, 20 ml Lemon juice, 20 ml Honey syrup, 1 Lemon twist
Bramble
50 ml Gin, 25 ml Lemon juice, 12.5 ml Simple syrup, 15 ml Crème de mûre, 2 berries Blackberry