Pimm’s and Wimbledon go together like gin and tonic
A Pimm’s Cup is something special, for the key role it plays in marking the precious season of summer.
Here in the States, though, Pimm’s doesn’t really play that role--rose wine and hard seltzers at outdoor gatherings take on that responsibility--but for the English, Pimm’s and the long days of summer are as blended together as gin with tonic water. Drink a Pimm’s cup, either in a proper glass or in a convenient can, and you have summoned summer on a rainy island. (Yes, you can buy premade Pimm’s Cup in cans in England, which I found out when I attended a friend’s wedding in London a few years ago. We consumed them at room temperature on a double-decker bus, of course.)
Even with my English background, I don’t turn to Pimm’s in the summer as often as I do to England’s chief contribution to summertime drinking, the gin and tonic. I’ll make a pitcher of Pimm’s only every two or three summers for parties, almost as an exotic novelty. Rarely, by the way, do the words “England” and “exotic” find company together. It’s just that Pimm’s hasn’t crossed the Pond to our shores and has thus retained its distinctive English character.
Only very recently did it occur to me to serve individual servings of Pimm’s. It took a friend toying with the idea of buying a bottle of Pimm’s No 1--the herbal, gin-based cordial that’s the sine qua non of a Pimm’s Cup--for herself to watch Wimbledon on television that got me thinking Pimm’s Cup for one. I encouraged her to buy that bottle, and then I fished the depths of my liquor cabinet for a bottle leftover from two summers ago, when it was safe to throw parties.
Thanks to my friend, I am now drinking Pimm’s Cups solo while watching replays of Wimbledon matches in the evening. It is surprising that it never occurred to me to enjoy Pimm’s Cup for Wimbledon despite their strong connection--in 2019, more than 276,290 glasses of Pimm's were served at The Championships at Wimbledon--especially since I relish imbibing traditions and following professional tennis.
I don’t imagine that this will be the last and only summer of Pimm’s Cups for one. As someone who embraces rituals, it’s fun to have a drink for an annual event, just like a mint julep for the Kentucky Derby. Event-specific drinks mark time and a full trip around the sun, and they offer an excuse to enjoy an oddball drink. I mean, how often do you find yourself crushing ice for a julep? Or asking your local liquor store if they carry Pimm’s No. 1.
Even beyond the Wimbledon fortnight, I’ll be offering Pimm’s Cups to guests. I won’t be the only one. Nettie’s House of Spaghetti in Tinton Falls, N.J., fortifies a Pimm’s Cup with a shot of gin at its stylish and fun retro bar. All year, Pimm’s Cups at Napoleon House in New Orleans are popular drink to battle the heat, so much so that tipplers in the Crescent City don’t know about Pimm’s English origins which date back to the 1820s, when James Pimm created the herbal liqueur at his oyster bar in London as a digestive aid. Long ago Pimm’s lost its medicinal connotations and is now purely pleasure, on both sides of the Pond.
If you’d like to learn more about the history of Pimm’s, please join me for an on-line cocktail making class with Context Travel on Sunday, 18 July, 5pm EDT.
For those of you who are craving a Pimm’s Cup now, to watch the women’s and men’s finals this weekend or to mix up your summer-specific tipples, here’s a recipe for Pimm’s Cup for one:
Pimm’s Cup
2 oz Pimm’s No. 1
5 oz Sparkling lemonade, lemon-lime soda, or ginger ale
(or ½ oz lemon juice, ½ oz simple syrup, and soda water to top)Garnish (any or all of the following): Cucumber spear or slice, lemon slice, orange slice, mint sprig, strawberries, borage
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In a Collins glass half-filled with ice, add Pimm’s No. 1, and, if making your own “soda,” lemon juice and simple syrup. Stir until combined. Fill glass with ice and pour in the sparkling lemonade, lemon-lime soda or ginger ale, or soda water if making your own soda. Stir gently. Garnish with any or all of the garnishes.