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Why we love this french gimlet
- 3 ingredients. This cocktail is made with only three ingredients, and they all work together to create a beautiful mix of flavors.
- Easy to make. There’s basically only one step involved. You don’t need to make simple syrup. Just juice a lime and shake it up.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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Equipment
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- Gin – Traditionally, gimlets are made with gin, but it can easily be swapped for vodka if you prefer a vodka gimlet.
- St. Germain – This is an elderflower liqueur produced in France (hence the “French” part of this recipe name). If you can’t find it, or don’t want to splurge on a bottle, you can substitute another brand of elderflower liqueur.
- Lime juice – You could definitely swap lemon for lime, but I really like the sweetness of lime and it’s traditional in a gimlet.
How to make a French gimlet
Shake your drink. Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Cover and shake until your cocktail gets nice and cold. This usually takes about 30 seconds or so.
Garnish and serve. Strain your gimlet into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a lime twist before serving.
Side note: We serve this gimlet straight up, but you can serve it on the rocks if you want. It’s totally your call.
Everything you need to know about gimlets
A basic gimlet will simply be made with gin, simple syrup and lime juice (or sweetened lime cordial). This french gimlet uses St-Germain to replace the simple syrup, which adds a bit of sweetness and some subtle hints of pear and honeysuckle.
While a gimlet is made with lime juice, a Tom Collins uses lemon juice and adds club soda. Another difference is how the drinks are served, a Tom Collins is shaken and served over ice but a gimlet is usually served straight up (shaken and served without ice).
As with most cocktails containing a citrus juice, this cocktail should be shaken. The gimlet should also be strained and served without ice, since the melting ice would dilute the drink.
St-Germain is an elderflower liqueur made in France. It adds the subtle flavors of honeysuckle and pear to a cocktail, along with a fresh sweetness.
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Ingredients
- 2 oz gin
- 1 ½ oz St. Germain
- ½ oz lime juice
- For garnish: lime twist or wheel
Instructions
- Combine gin, St. Germain, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake until cold.
- Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
- Garnish with a lime twist.
Video
Last Updated on September 10, 2022 by Melissa Belanger
This post contains affiliate links. I may earn commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. I will never recommend a product I don’t use or trust.
