The Pimm's cup is a cocktail that is popular in England, in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. It is one of numerous
fruit cup
A fruit cup, also known as a summer cup, is traditionally an English speciality drink designed to be made into a long drink with addition of a soft drink such as lemonade or ginger ale. Most commonly, these are gin-based, although there are s ...
s, a type of cocktail with gin, a soft drink, and fruit. Its primary spirit is
Pimm's No. 1 Cup, a
gin-based beverage flavored with fruits and spices invented around 1823 as a
health drink.
The Pimm's cup is the official cocktail of many summer events in England, including the
Chelsea Flower Show, the
Henley Royal Regatta and the
Royal Ascot. For the last 50 years the drink has been associated with
Wimbledon.
Preparation
A summer
long drink
A long drink or tall drink is an alcoholic mixed drink with a relatively large volume (> 12 cl, frequently 16–40 cl or between 5–9 fluid ounces). In Finland, a ‘long drink’ specifically contains gin plus a mixer, almost always a fruit sod ...
, the Pimm's cup is made with
Pimm's No. 1 Cup, an English-style (clear and carbonated)
lemonade
Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored beverage.
There are varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In North America and South Asia, cloudy still lemonade is the most common variety. There it is traditionally a homemade drink using ...
, like
Sprite or
7 Up
7 Up (stylized as 7up outside North America) is an American brand of lemon-lime-flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The brand and formula are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper although the beverage is internationally distributed by PepsiCo. 7 Up co ...
, lemon or lime juice, as well as various chopped garnishes, particularly
apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
,
cucumber,
orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
,
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China.
The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...
,
strawberry and
mint
MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...
or
borage
Borage ( or ; ''Borago officinalis''), also known as starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region, and has naturalized in many other locales.
It grows satisfactorily in gard ...
, though mint is more common.
Ginger ale
Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavoured with ginger. It is consumed on its own or used as a mixer, often with spirit-based drinks. There are two main types of ginger ale. The golden style is credited to the Irish doctor Thomas Joseph ...
or
ginger beer
Traditional ginger beer is a sweetened and carbonated, usually non-alcoholic beverage. Historically it was produced by the natural fermentation of prepared ginger spice, yeast and sugar.
Current ginger beers are often manufactured rather than ...
is used as a common substitute for lemonade. All liquid ingredients are added to a highball glass with ice, followed by garnishes.
Variations
Pimm's can also be mixed with
Champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...
(or other sparkling white wines), resulting in a drink known as a "Pimm's royal cup". Pimm's winter cup is generally mixed with warm apple juice. A "Glasgow Garden Party" is a drink made with Pimm's substituting lemonade with
Irn Bru excluding any fruit garnish. A "Pimmlet" is a
gimlet with Pimm's No.1 substituted for gin. A Pimm's
mojito
Mojito (; ) is a traditional Cuban punch. The cocktail often consists of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, soda water, and mint. Its combination of sweetness, citrus, and herbaceous mint flavors ...
substitutes lemon and lime soda with
muddled lime
Lime commonly refers to:
* Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit
* Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide
* Lime (color), a color between yellow and green
Lime may also refer to:
Botany ...
s and
soda water
Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...
.
History
The base liqueur of a Pimm's cup, Pimm's, was created sometime after 1823, when
James Pimm opened an oyster bar and began serving spirit-based punches and cups. Pimm received his first liquor license in 1851, and leased or sold the bar to S. D. Morey in 1856; it changed hands several times afterward. At one point, Pimm, one of his employees, or one of his successors created the first Pimm's liqueur, designed to be mixed with lemonade, and which was trademarked and commercially released in 1912.
The cocktail was introduced to the United States in the late 1940s, where it became popular in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
and
.
See also
*
List of cocktails
References
External links
*
{{Cocktails
Cocktails with gin
Cocktails with Champagne
Cocktails with lemon-lime soda
Cocktails with ginger beer
Cocktails with lemon juice
Cocktails with lime juice