Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Gimlet

Gin and lime, sweetened just enough, shaken ice-cold. Two ingredients, endlessly refreshing — the sailor’s antidote to scurvy grew up well.

Preparation~2 minEasyStrengthStrongabout 25% ABVMethodShaken7 guided stepsIngredients3Martini (cocktail) glass

Sour

In the glassGin · Fresh lime juice · Simple syrup

See exact amounts

Make it with guidanceOne clear action at a time, with timers built in.

Start making

What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear martini glass with an angular V-shaped bowl and slender stem. — Serving glassMartini glass

Set up before you pour

Use a martini glass.

The stem protects a cold up drink from your hand; the open V-shaped bowl presents its aroma immediately.

Standard size: 180 ml6 oz
Ice & serve: Chill it first; serve without ice.
If you don’t own one: Use a coupe or another small stemmed cocktail glass.

Tools to set out

cocktail shaker
strainer (or a small sieve)
jigger or measuring spoon

Compare all glass types

Scale to your martini (cocktail) glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

Gin60 ml
Fresh lime juice20 ml
Simple syrup15 ml

Start making

From bottle to glass

Method

01
Measure into the shaker
Pour 60 ml gin into your shaker
- Gin
02
Measure into the shaker
Add 20 ml fresh lime juice
- Fresh lime juice
03
Measure into the shaker
Add 15 ml simple syrup
- Simple syrup
04
Ice the shaker
Fill the shaker with ice
Why it mattersFill it right up — more ice chills faster with less watering down.
05
Seal and shake
Seal and shake hard
Why it mattersCold hands mean it’s working. Shake until the tin frosts over.
06
Strain cleanly
Strain into a chilled glass — no ice
Why it mattersPour through the strainer so the spent shaker ice stays behind.
07
Finish the drink
Finish it — add a lime wheel

Know your drink

About the Gimlet

A gin highball, dry Martini and ruby bitter gin cocktail in a botanical bar.

A surgeon or a tool

Two stories attach to the name and neither has documentation behind it. One credits Surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette of the Royal Navy, who is supposed to have cut the crew's gin with lime. Another points at the gimlet itself, the small hand tool used to bore a tap hole in a cask. Printed recipes only start turning up in the 1920s, well after either explanation would have had to happen.

Sugar is the variable worth fussing over. Half an ounce of simple syrup against three-quarters of an ounce of lime reads dry and tight; take it to a full ounce and you get lime candy. Navy strength gin at 57% can carry the extra sweetness, a 40% London dry cannot. Shake hard enough to pull real dilution out of the ice or the acid sits on top of everything.

Common questions

Gimlet FAQ

Rose’s lime cordial or fresh lime?

The historic gimlet was gin and Rose’s preserved lime cordial — Royal Navy rations against scurvy. The modern bar standard shakes fresh lime and simple syrup instead: brighter, sharper, better. Try the cordial version once for history’s sake.

What ingredients are in a Gimlet?

A classic Gimlet calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Gin, 20 ml (0.75 oz) Fresh lime juice, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Simple syrup. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

How strong is a Gimlet?

A standard Gimlet is roughly 25% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

Is a Gimlet shaken or stirred?

A Gimlet is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.

What glass do you serve a Gimlet in?

Serve a Gimlet in a martini glass, well chilled — this drink is served without ice, so a cold glass keeps it cold.

How many calories are in a Gimlet?

One Gimlet has approximately 170 calories, estimated from the standard spec above. Bigger pours, extra syrup or sweetened mixers raise that number quickly.

Sharpen the technique