Vodka Gimlet
Vodka, fresh lime and sugar, shaken. The Gimlet with a neutral spirit — a cold, sharp lime sour that is either the cleanest drink at the bar or a Daiquiri that forgot the rum.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add the vodka, lime juice and simple syrup to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds.
Double strain into the chilled coupe and garnish with a lime wheel.
A thoughtful finish
- Fresh lime and syrup makes a bright sour; Rose's makes the sweeter, cooked-lime classic. Decide which you want.
- Shake hard and serve very cold; there is nothing to taste in a warm one.
- Serve it on the rocks if you want it longer.
Common mistakes
- Bottled lime juice, which tastes of neither fresh lime nor cordial.
- Too much syrup; it should be sharp.
- Stirring.
A few good questions.
What does a Vodka Gimlet taste like?
Sharp, cold lime with a little sugar and vodka's warmth — clean and simple.
Fresh lime or Rose's?
Fresh for a sour; Rose's for the 1950s original. Both are legitimate.
How is it different from a Gin Gimlet?
The gin's juniper is replaced by nothing; it is a lime drink.
Up or on the rocks?
Up is the classic; rocks is common and fine.
Variations
- Gimlet — Gin and lime.
- Daiquiri — White rum, lime and sugar.
- Kamikaze — Vodka, triple sec and lime.
- Vodka Sour — Vodka, lemon, sugar and egg white.
Where it comes from
c. 1950s · United States
The Gimlet is gin and Rose’s lime cordial, a British naval and club drink of the early 1900s; the Vodka Gimlet arrived with vodka’s 1950s rise and was the fashionable version through the 1960s and 1970s, when Rose’s was still the standard lime. Modern bars make it with fresh lime juice and simple syrup, which turns it into a sour, and the vodka version is then a lime drink first and a spirit drink second. Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe drank gin gimlets, ‘half gin and half Rose’s lime juice and nothing else,’ and that formula works with vodka too for anyone who likes the cordial’s cooked, sweet lime.
Sources
- Gary Regan, The Joy of Mixology, 2003 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Vodka Gimlet, 2010 (reference)
- Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, 1953 (book)
Strength. About 1.33 US standard drinks at an estimated 19.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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