![\"pimms\"](\"https:\/\/elitetraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/pimms-1-300x200.jpg\")
<\/div>\nMost of us, I imagine, think of Pimm\u2019s as a quintessentially English drink. And to a great extent it is. The recipe was created in 1912 for a chain of London oyster bars founded by the Englishman, James Pimm, at a time when it was customary to pair oysters with a \u2018cup\u2019 or \u2018punch\u2019 made of gin, fruit, spices, bitter herbs, and liqueurs, mixed with lemonade. \u00a0<\/p>\n
But Pimm\u2019s No.1 is also a big deal in that American cradle of the cocktail New Orleans: the city\u2019s Napoleon House<\/a> bar, in the French Quarter, has been knocking out its fruit-scattered gin cups for almost a hundred years.<\/p>\n See also: The Best Martinis in the World, According to the Experts<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n So, what\u2019s the secret to a good one? I have some views on this. Because, a well-made Pimm\u2019s can be absolutely divine, but a bad one can be very sickly. Temperature is critical \u2013\u00a0Pimm\u2019s must always be really, really well-chilled. I think it also benefits from half an hour or so steeping with the fruit, in the fridge. Add lots of orange and lemon wheels to cut the sweetness; strawberries and even raspberries if you want. Plus, a generous handful of freshly-picked mint sprigs \u2013\u00a0give them a sharp smack before adding, to release the aromatic oils.<\/p>\n The traditional capstone for Pimm\u2019s \u2013\u00a0and gin cups of all kinds \u2013\u00a0is a sprig of cucumber-scented borage flowers. These purple-blue blooms enhance the cooling effect and add a lovely pop of color.<\/p>\n Charles Dickens was a big fan of borage: \u201c[it] makes a world of difference\u201d he said to a gathering of fans in Boston, in 1868, for whom he mixed one of his reputedly excellent cups. Borage is pretty easy to grow in a pot, but failing that, cucumber slices will also work in its stead.<\/p>\n Cheap and cheerful fizzy lemonade (or 7-Up) is the classic mixer, but if you prefer it a bit less sweet, substitute with a pared-back tonic like Fever Tree Light or even just sparkling water. And mix roughly 1-part Pimm\u2019s to 3 parts mixer.<\/p>\n Pimm\u2019s used to be bottled at 31.5 percent abv but the strongest version you\u2019ll find today is a rather lily-livered 25 percent abv, which can mean even the best-made cup can wind up tasting a little underpowered. For this reason, it\u2019s worth considering making your own gin cup from scratch \u2013\u00a0simply mix equal parts gin, red vermouth and triple sec (or other orange liqueur), and dilute to taste.<\/p>\n See alao: A Drinks Expert\u2019s Take on Match-Day Pairings for the World Cup<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Hayman\u2019s London Dry Gin<\/a>, which is made in London by England\u2019s oldest family-owned distillery, has a starburst of citrussy botanicals that would be great here. Or play up to the English country garden theme with Hendrick\u2019s Gin<\/a> which pairs juniper with subtle notes of cucumber and rose.<\/p>\n For the red vermouth, I\u2019d go with Martini\u2019s more full-throttle Riserva Speciale Rubino<\/a> or the barbera-based rosso <\/em>by Chazalettes<\/a>. And for the orange liqueur Cointreau<\/a> or Pierre Ferrand\u2019s weightier Dry Cura\u00e7ao<\/a>. The new High Fidelity Triple Sec<\/a> , co-created by Ashley Palmer Watts, chef and co-owner of London sensation The Devonshire<\/a>, is also very good. It has a little pinch of Cornish salt in the recipe that makes it extremely moreish.<\/p>\n And if it wasn\u2019t clear already, you should always mix Pimm\u2019s by the jug. Because it should always be enjoyed in company \u2013\u00a0and one glass is never enough. \u00a0<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n -300ml gin<\/p>\n -300ml red vermouth<\/p>\n -300ml triple sec or other orange liqueur<\/p>\n -900ml well-chilled, fizzy lemonade, tonic or soda water<\/p>\n -Garnish: orange and lemon slices, sliced strawberries, mint sprigs, and borage flowers<\/p>\n Method<\/strong><\/p>\n Combine the first three ingredients in a jug with all the garnishes except the borage and chill in the fridge for half an hour. Just before serving add ice, more mint sprigs, and borage flowers.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pimm\u2019s can be glorious or disappointingly sweet. Here’s how to get it right.\u00a0 Most of us, I imagine, think of Pimm\u2019s as a quintessentially English drink. And to a great extent it is. The recipe was created in 1912 for a chain of London oyster bars founded by the Englishman, James Pimm, at a time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_preview_token":"","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/facesjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Pimm's\"](\"https:\/\/elitetraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/how-to-make-pimms1-2560x1707.jpg\")
![\"pimms\"](\"https:\/\/elitetraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/pimms-drink-summer-1707x2560.jpg\")
Alice’s DIY Pimm’s recipe<\/h2>\n