Emerald Gimlet
A fresh, emerald-green gimlet with cucumber and basil that gives the classic a breath of summer garden.
Ingredients
- Gin, a floral or herbal style, ideally60 ml
- Lime juice, freshly squeezed15 ml
- Basil4 leaves
- Cucumber5 slices
- Simple syrup (1 part Sugar, 1 part Water)15 ml
- Soda water, for a lighter, sparkling version (optional)top up
- Cucumber, to garnish (optional)1 wheel
- Basil, to garnish (optional)1 leaf
Method
- Gently muddle the cucumber slices and basil leaves with the simple syrup in the shaker, taking care not to over-muddle the basil and make it bitter.
- Add the gin and freshly squeezed lime juice.
- Fill the shaker with ice and shake hard for about 15 seconds, until well chilled and diluted.
- Strain the drink (double-strain if you can) into a chilled coupe, so every fragment is removed.
- If you like, top with a splash of soda water for a lighter, sparkling version.
- Garnish with a thin cucumber slice and a basil leaf on top.
About this drink
The classic gimlet of gin, lime and sugar goes back to the Royal Navy, where lime juice kept scurvy at bay. The Emerald Gimlet is a present-day variation in which fresh cucumber slices and basil are muddled with the syrup, giving the drink a green, herbal depth alongside the lime's acidity. The result is equal parts nostalgia and garden party.
Questions and answers
Why be careful with the basil in an Emerald Gimlet?
Over-muddled basil turns unpleasantly bitter. A few light presses are enough to release its sweet, anise-like oils without spoiling them.
Can you leave out the cucumber or the basil?
The drink can lose one of the two: without cucumber it becomes more herbal, without basil cleaner and greener. Together they give the emerald freshness the drink is named for.
