Upgrade a classic cocktail with this blackberry gimlet recipe

This gimlet is a classic cocktail made with lime juice and gin. It may be an old school favorite, but that doesn’t mean it can’t use a modern twist every once in a while.

In The Know’s Cocktail of the Week adds a bit of berry goodness to the time-honored aperitif with this blackberry gimlet recipe.

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup fresh blackberries
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon blackberry jam
  • 2 ounces gin
  • Ice cubes
  • Fresh blackberries for garnish
  • Fresh mint for garnish
  • Edible flower for garnish

First, grab a shaker and a muddler. Mash the blackberries inside the shaker for about a minute to ensure you’ve extracted enough juice. Next, add the fresh lime juice, blackberry jam, gin and six to eight ice cubes to the shaker.

Cover and shake vigorously (like a polaroid picture perhaps) until the drink is mixed and chilled.

Lastly, pour the mixture over five to six more ice cubes in an old-fashioned cocktail glass. For garnish, place the fresh mint, blackberries and an edible flower on top.

Now, sit back and enjoy the nearly 100-year-old cocktail and its seedy history.

Etymologists believe that by 1927 the drink was named after the gimlet drill due to it’s “penetrating” effects on the imbibe, according to Etymonline. Another theory is, it’s named after British Royal Navy Surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette, who suggested lime juice to sailors as a way to combat scurvy, according to Gin Foundry.

Unsurprisingly, the drink became popular in U.S. speakeasies during prohibition. The two-ingredient cocktail was easy to make and the lime masked the scent of alcohol. But now that we don’t have to skedaddle from law enforcement during happy hour, we can add a few more layers to the beverage.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this golden peach slushy cocktail recipe.

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