Gimlet

The classic Gimlet is made with gin and lime juice cordial (such as Rose's Lime Cordial) in a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio, stirred or shaken and strained into a chilled cocktail glass. The IBA recipe uses gin, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup, reflecting a contemporary preference for fresh citrus over the preserved sweetness of commercial cordial.

The Gimlet is often associated with the British Royal Navy, where a mixture of gin and lime juice was reportedly consumed to prevent scurvy and make the required daily ration of lime juice more palatable to sailors. The cocktail appears in literature as early as the 1920s, and Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel The Long Goodbye famously describes a proper Gimlet as 'half gin and half Rose's lime juice and nothing else.'

Traditionalists favor stirring the Gimlet, especially when using lime cordial, since the drink contains no citrus pulp or foam-producing ingredients that benefit from the aeration of shaking. However, when fresh lime juice is used, many bartenders shake the cocktail to better integrate the juice with the gin and to add a pleasant frothiness to the texture. Both methods are acceptable.