A proper Gimlet, sans corn syrup

(updated )

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A Gimlet is a refreshing cocktail with a subtle but distinct flavor profile. It can be quite tasty but is very hard to get right without accepting an awful lot of high fructose corn syrup. I tend to avoid high fructose corn syrup, so I rarely make a proper Gimlet, but I've been experimenting with syrups over the years and think I've struck on a pretty good alternative.

The Classic Gimlet

The starting point for a Gimlet is a simple mix of gin and Rose's Lime Juice. Sadly, Rose's is mostly water, high fructose corn syrup, and a little bit of flavoring. It gives the right taste (tuotologically) but isn't something I feel good about drinking.

Gimlet

  • 2 oz Gin

  • 1 oz Rose's Lime Juice

Shake with ice and serve in a Nick and Nora glass.

The Gin Sour

Commonly, one will find recipes calling for fresh lime juice an simple syrup. While a good drink, the flavor profile is quite different from a true Gimlet.

Gin Sour

  • 2 oz Gin

  • 3/4 oz Lime Juice

  • 3/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and serve in a Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with a lime slice.

Roll Your Own

From here, the path forward is to start trying to make your own lime syrup. The first recipes that I tried were based on a simple syrup infused with lime zest. This works well enough but the flavor is a bit too subtle and not quite right.

From there, I largely set aside the matter until I came across a recipe trying to resurrect the original Rose's recipe on Reddit. To my taste, the recipe is much to tart, more like a Sour Patch Kid than something I want to use in drinks. That said, the flavor profile was in the right direction.

I played with the ratios, threw a few other tricks at the recipe, and ended up with something that tastes really good to my taste.

Key Lime Syrup

  • 3/4 cup Water

  • 2 cups white Sugar

  • 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar

  • 1 Tbsp Citric Acid

  • 12 Key Limes

Procedure:

  1. Zest the key limes and set the zest aside. Juice the limes and set the juice aside.

  2. Put the sugar, cream of tartar, and water in a saucepan.

  3. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

  4. Remove from heat and add the key lime zest.

  5. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes.

  6. Use an ice bath to cool the saucepan / syrup to under 100°F.

  7. Add the key lime juice and citric acid, stirring to combine.

  8. Strain through a fine strainer (I use a nut milk bag) and bottle.

The Homemade Gimlet

  • 2.5 oz Gin

  • 0.75 oz Key Lime Syrup

Shake with ice and serve in a Coupe or Nick and Nora glass.

Delicious.