Meet the Gimlet - the classic gin cocktail with only 2 ingredients!

We love a classic cocktail (or two!) here at Craft Gin Club, which is why we’re taking you through our A-Z of classic gin cocktails so you know the best gin cocktails around! And if you like a quick and easy gin cocktail recipe, you’ll love how simple this one is. But first, the history of this delicious cocktail…

Like many a good gin cocktail, we have sailors to thank for the Gimlet. In the 1700s and 1800s one of the great challenges of life on the high seas was scurvy (a disease caused by a deficiency in Vitamin C.)

The cure? Citrus fruit – in fact, the 1867 Merchant Shipping Act made it mandatory for British ships to carry rations of lime juice for the sailors on board. Soon enough, sailors who were issued rations of gin began to mix it with their rations of lime juice, and the Gimlet was born.

As for its name, historically a gimlet referred to a small tool used to open barrels of spirits. However, others claim a naval doctor called Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette is the cocktail’s namesake. The gimlet has remained popular with gin lovers ever since – especially in literary circles, with the likes of Raymond Chandler and Ernest Hemingway often imbibing. 

While we may not need it for its 'medicinal' purposes nowadays, it's a classic we're happy to enjoy regardless...