Along with the negroni and the trusty G&T, a refreshing Pimm’s Cup completes the Holy Trinity of summer cocktails. If you haven’t yet sat on a porch sipping Pimm’s Cup in a tall, sweaty glass, then you need to fix that—tout suite!
Invented in 1840, by London Oyster Bar owner James Pimm, Pimm’s No. 1 Cup is a gin-based liqueur infused with a secret mixture of botanicals said to aid in digestion. The classic Pimm’s cocktail is a long drink featuring the liqueur and sparking lemonade or ginger ale over ice, along with a variety of fruity and vegetal garnishes. It’s perfect for an afternoon picnic, après-croquet, or anytime you need to pretend that UK trip you had planned before COVID is actually happening. For the full effect, watch one of the brand’s fantastic “adverts”—like this one here, in which personifications of the Pimm’s Cup ingredients assemble Avengers-style on the way to proper garden party.
Pimm’s Cup Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Pimm's No. 1 Cup
- 1 bottle sparkling lemonade or ginger ale
- sliced cucumber (not optional) and citrus and/or assorted berries and stone fruit
- sprigs of mint
Instructions
- Play a game of croquet or involve yourself somehow in a polo match, sailing regatta, or Wimbledon).
- Retire to the lawn, veranda, or gazebo. (A stoop or black-tar rooftop will do.)
- Fill a pitcher with ice, add a 50/50 mixture of Pimm’s and sparkling lemonade or ginger ale, and stir together with sliced cucumber and fruit.
- Hello, I make that Pimm’s O’Clock! Serve with salty snacks and suddenly that dank back alley you call your “outdoor space” is the Garden at the Goring Hotel. Cheers!
I love a Pimm’s Cup! Americans have brought it back to its roots, but British pubs mix it with 7-Up. Brits don’t drink lemonade or ginger ale anymore, poor things. For a stronger, less sugary version of the Pimm’s Cup, I mix 1/3 Pimm’s, 1/3 Absolute Pear & Elderflower vodka, 1/6 dry curacao, and 1/6 lemon seltzer with cucumber and lemon and/or orange slices. Quite good.