Vodka Gimlet

Two different drinks, and the cordial version has a real following. Going that way, drop the syrup and pour about 30 ml of cordial, since it arrives sweetened. Expect something rounder and slightly cooked-tasting. Fresh lime is sharper and greener and needs the sugar to work at all.

You, probably, and specifically the temperature. Once past the cheapest shelf, vodkas differ less than the marketing claims. Harshness in a gimlet comes from a warm bottle and a short shake. Keep it in the freezer, shake until the tin hurts to hold, and do not cut the syrup.

Structurally, yes, and the name is most of the difference. Gimlet is what the gin-and-lime version has always been called and the vodka one inherited it. If it helps: a sour usually wants lemon and often egg white, and nobody puts egg white in a gimlet.

Persian, the big dark ones, are what almost every recipe assumes and what 22 ml is measured against. Key limes are smaller, more floral and more acidic, so you'll need four or five of them plus a little more syrup to balance. Fine if you like the perfume, but a different drink.

It does, and a three-ingredient drink is the right candidate. Mix the vodka, lime and syrup, add about 20 percent water to stand in for the dilution a shake would give you, and bottle it. Freezers won't set it. Lime fades after two or three days, so finish it that week.

A classic Vodka Gimlet calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Vodka, 22 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.

A standard Vodka 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.