The 19th century was great -- you could distill a liqueur with herbs and call it a health drink. That's how Pimm's was born - a fishmonger in London named James Pimm created it. He went on to own several oyster bars and I bet Pimm's went pretty well with the oysters. Over the years there have been at least 6 versions of Pimm's with a different spirit as a base. Today we're dealing mainly with the gin based Pimm's #1. Many recipes call for Pimm's and 7-Up or Sprite -- no thank you. Pimm's can be sweet and sweetened soda only enhances the sweetness. My recipe is cobbled together from several versions, none of which include sugary soda.
2oz Pimm's No. 1
1oz Gin -For this I used Citadelle, a decently complex French Gin.
2oz Lemon Soda
2-3oz Club Soda
2 Dashes Grapefruit Bitters
Build the drink in a mason jar with two big cubes, shattered with the back of the cocktail spoon. Add two long strips of cucumber and a wheel of lemon as garnish. I included rosemary because it looks nice, but it doesn't impact the flavor.
