Pimm's is an English

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

of gin-based

fruit cup Fruit salad is a dish consisting of various kinds of fruit, sometimes served in a liquid, either their juices or a syrup. In different forms, fruit salad can be served as an appetizer or a side as a salad. A fruit salad is sometimes known as a ...

but may also be considered a

liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-age ...

or the basis of a

sling Sling may refer to: Places *Sling, Anglesey, Wales * Sling, Gloucestershire, England, a small village in the Forest of Dean People with the name * Otto Šling (1912–1952), repressed Czech communist functionary Arts, entertainment, and media * ...

or punch. It was first produced in 1823 by

James Pimm James Pimm (1798–1866) was a British food proprietor who created the gin-based liqueur known as Pimm's. Pimm was born and raised in Newnham, Kent the son of James Norris Pimm, a tenant farmer, and his wife Susannah. He was classically ...

and has been owned by

Diageo Diageo plc ( ) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It is a major distributor of Scotch whisky and other spirits and operates from 132 sites around the world ...

since 1997. Its most popular product is Pimm's No. 1 Cup, commonly used for the

Pimm's cup The Pimm's cup is a cocktail that is popular in England, in the United Kingdom. It is one of numerous fruit cup (cocktail), fruit cups, a type of cocktail with gin, a soft drink, and fruit. Its primary spirit is Pimm's No. 1 Cup, a gin-based beve ...

cocktail.

Serving

Pimm's is dark brown with a reddish tint, and a subtle taste of

spice In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

and

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

fruit. As a summer

long drink A long drink or tall drink is an alcoholic mixed drink with a relatively large volume (>, frequently ). The phrase "long drink" is also sometimes used to refer specifically to the Finnish long drink, also known as a lonkero. A long drink will ha ...

, it is normally served as a

cocktail, a drink with "English-style" (clear and carbonated)

lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...

, as well as various chopped garnishes, particularly

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

cucumber The cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...

and

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

borage Borage ( or ; ''Borago officinalis''), also known as starflower, is an annual herb in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae native to the Mediterranean region. Although the plant contains small amounts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, some parts ar ...

, 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 ...

is used as a common substitute for lemonade. 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, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

(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 Cuba, Cuban punch. The cocktail often consists of five ingredients: Light rum, white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, Carbonated water, soda water, and Mentha, mint. Its combination of sweetn ...

substitutes lemon and lime soda with muddled

lime Lime most 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: Bo ...

s and

soda water Carbonated water is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, either artificially injected under pressure, or occurring due to natural geological processes. Carbonation causes small bubbles to form, giving the water an effervescent quali ...

History

Pimm, a farmer's son from

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, became the owner of an

oyster bar An oyster bar, also known as an oyster saloon, oyster house or a raw bar service, is a restaurant specializing in serving oysters, or a section of a restaurant which serves oysters buffet-style. Oysters have been consumed since ancient times and w ...

in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

, near the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...

. He offered the tonic (a gin-based drink containing a secret mixture of herbs and liqueurs) as an aid to digestion, serving it in a small

tankard A tankard is a form of drinkware consisting of a large, roughly cylindrical, drinking cup with a single handle. In recent centuries tankards were typically made of silver or pewter, but can be made of other materials, for example glass, wood, ...

known as a "No. 1 Cup", hence its subsequent name. In 1851, Pimm's No. 2 Cup and Pimm's No. 3 Cup were introduced. Pimm's began large-scale production in 1851 to keep up with sales to other bars. The

distillery Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...

began selling it in 1859. In 1865, Pimm sold the business and the right to use his name to Frederick Sawyer. In 1880, the business was acquired by future

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

Horatio Davies Lieutenant Colonel Sir Horatio David Davies (1842–18 September 1912) was a London businessman, politician, magistrate and a driving force behind the establishment of Pimm's as an international brandname. Early life Son of H. D. Davies Esq, h ...

, and a chain of Pimm's Oyster Houses was franchised in 1887. Over the years, Pimm's extended their range, using other spirits as bases for new "cups". After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Pimm's No. 4 Cup was invented, followed by Pimm's No. 5 Cup and Pimm's No. 6 Cup in the 1960s. The brand fell on hard times in the 1970s and 1980s. The Oyster House chain was sold, and Pimm's Cup products Nos. 2 to 5 were phased out due to reduced demand in 1970, after new owners,

The Distillers Company The Distillers Company plc was a leading Scotch whisky company and, at one time, a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was taken over in 1986 by Guinness & Co. and is now part of Diageo. History The Distillers Company origins lie in a trade ...

, took control of the brand. In 1986, The Distillers Company was purchased by

Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...

PLC, and Pimm's became part of Diageo when Guinness and

Grand Metropolitan Grand Metropolitan plc was a leisure, manufacturing and property conglomerate headquartered in England. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it merged with Guinness plc to form ...

merged in 1997. In 2004, Pimm's introduced Pimm's Winter Cup, which consists of Pimm's No. 3 Cup (the

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

-based variant) infused with spices and orange peel. The discontinued No. 6 Vodka Cup variety was reinstated in 2015 following a successful campaign led by a group of enthusiastic Vodka Cup Pimm's drinkers. Despite a promise from the parent company and Pimm's owner

to keep No. 6 in production, it is no longer possible to buy Vodka Cup Pimm's.

Popularity and distribution

Pimm's is most popular in England, particularly

southern England Southern England, also known as the South of England or the South, is a sub-national part of England. Officially, it is made up of the southern, south-western and part of the eastern parts of England, consisting of the statistical regions of ...

. It is one of the two staple drinks at the

Wimbledon tennis tournament The Wimbledon Championships, commonly called Wimbledon, is a tennis tournament organised by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in collaboration with the Lawn Tennis Association annually in Wimbledon, London. It is chronologically the ...

, the

Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show,Phil Clayton, ''The Great Temple Show'' in ''The Garden'' 2008, p.452, The Royal Horticultural Society is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural So ...

, the

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

and the

Glyndebourne Festival Opera Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...

the other being champagne. The first Pimm's Bar opened at the Wimbledon tournament in 1971; every year, over 80,000 pints of Pimm's cocktail are sold to spectators. Along with champagne, it has been declared one of two official drinks of Wimbledon, and it has also gained popularity among British universities. A Pimm's is also a standard cocktail at British and American

polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

matches. The brand experienced a revival in the early 2000s following a 2003 advertising campaign, which featured a humorous classic upper-class " Hooray Henry" character called Harry Fitzgibbon-Sims (portrayed by

Alexander Armstrong Alexander Henry Fenwick Armstrong (born 2 March 1970) is an English actor, comedian, radio personality, television presenter, singer and farmer. He is the host of the BBC One game show ''Pointless'', and is a weekday morning-show presenter on C ...

) with the catchphrase "It's Pimm's o'clock!", somewhat mocking their own traditional advertising and appeal. Diageo's 2010 campaign featured a more diverse range of characters representing different elements of the Pimm's cocktail (Pimm's No.1 being an Englishman in red and white blazer, lemonade being three young women in yellow, ice represented by a mature man), coming together to the theme tune of 1970s British television show '' The New Avengers''.

Products

Seven Pimm's products have been produced throughout the brand's history, all fruit cups differing only in their alcoholic base. Only Nos. 1 and a 'Winter Cup' based on No. 3 remain in production. It was originally in imperial oz. 57-mlbottles, then made in standard metric 26.4 imperial oz. 50-mlbottles when it started being sold overseas in Europe, and now is in 700 ml and 1 litre bottles. The beverages were originally a standard 31.53%

ABV Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest of the solution, ...

, then curbed to 28.90%

in the 1960s, and are now only 25%

. * Pimm's No. 1 Cup

840–present 84 may refer to: * 84 (number) * one of the years 84 BC, AD 84, 1984, AD 2084 * The international calling code for Vietnam * 84 Lumber, a building materials supply company * Eighty Four, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated census-designated place in Wa ...

is the most popular Pimm's cup. Based on

gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...

, its base as bottled is 25 per cent alcohol by volume. * Pimm's No. 2 Cup 930s–1970was based on Scotch whisky, and was phased out by new brand owners

in 1970. * Pimm's No. 3 Cup

930s–1970; 2004–present 93 may refer to: * 93 (number) * one of the years 93 BC, AD 93, 1993, 2093, etc. * 93 Seine-Saint-Denis, French department, Paris, Île-de-France * Atomic number 93: neptunium * ''Ninety-Three'', English title of ''Quatrevingt-treize'' (same meani ...

is based on

; it was phased out in 1970, and relaunched in 2004, now infused with spices and orange peel and called ''Pimm's Winter Cup''. * Pimm's No. 4 Cup 935–1970was based on

dark rum Rum is a liquor made by fermentation (food), fermenting and then distillation, distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often barrel aging, aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in t ...

. * Pimm's No. 5 Cup 930s?–1970was based on

rye whisky Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey: * American rye whiskey, which is similar to bourbon whiskey, but must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye grain * Canadian whisky, which is often referred to as (and of ...

. It was originally designed as an alternative to Pimm's No. 2 for the Canadian market. Its popularity there during the postwar period encouraged Pimm's to sell it in the British market and overseas to Europe and America as well. * Pimm's No. 6 Cup 964–1970; 2004–2021was based on

vodka Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...

. It was reintroduced in 2004 as ''Pimm's Vodka Cup'', temporarily discontinued in 2014, but brought back in 2015 after an outcry from Pimm's customers, only to be discontinued again in 2021. * Pimm's No. 7 Cup ate 1960s? – 1970 based on

tequila Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands (''Los Altos (Jal ...

. It was designed for the American market, as tequila was not very popular in Britain and Europe at the time. It was made in such small numbers before it was discontinued that it is one of the rarest variants. Websites including Difford's Guide say the liqueur was introduced sometime after World War II, while other sources claim No. 7 was never a real commercial product. The Pimm's No. 2 and No. 5 Cups were introduced as a mixer for whisky cocktails. The Pimm's No. 3 and No. 4 Cups were introduced as heated cold-weather or winter versions of the summertime Pimm's No. 1. The Pimm's Winter Cup and Pimm's Vodka Cup were reintroduced in 2004. ''Pimm's Winter Cup'' is a seasonally available version of Pimm's No.3 infused with spices and orange peel. ''Pimm's Vodka Cup'' is a reintroduction of Pimm's No.6, but is made in limited quantities. Pimm's ''Original No.1 Cup'' (frequently mixed with lemonade) (or "Pimm's & Lemonade") is a pre-mixed fortified lemonade with a Pimm's No. 1 base with a strength of 5.4%

. It is available in 12-packs of 250 ml cans or 1 litre bottles. Pimm's Lemonade & Ginger Ale is a pre-mixed fortified lemonade with a Pimm's No. 1 base and flavoured with ginger-ale that has a strength of 4%

. It is available in 4-packs (or cases of six 4-packs) of 330 ml bottles. There are also special edition versions that are 20%

and come in standard European 700 ml bottles. Pimm's Blackberry and Elderflower ade from 2013is based on Pimms No. 6 with

blackberry BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...

and

elderflower ''Sambucus'' is a genus of between 20 and 30 species of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly referred to as elder, with the flowers as elderflower, and the fruit as elderberry. Description Elders are mostl ...

flavouring. Pimm's Strawberry (with a hint of mint) ade from 2015is based on Pimm's No. 1 with additional

and

flavouring.

Imitators

Some retailers have marketed "Pimm's style" drinks under other names. In the UK, these have included

Aldi Aldi (German pronunciation: ), stylised as ALDI, is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and ...

's "Austin's",

Lidl Lidl ( ) is a trademark, used by two Germany, German international discount supermarket, discount retailer chain store, chains that operates over 12,600 stores. The ''LD Stiftung'' operates the stores in Germany and the ''Lidl Stiftung & Co. K ...

's "Jeeves", and

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is a British supermarket and the second-largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company was the largest UK r ...

"Pitchers".

References

External links

*
Pimm's
on thebar UK, owned by Diageo {{Diageo plc Diageo brands English liqueurs English brands Mixed drinks 1823 introductions 1823 establishments in England