What Is Pimm's And How Should You Drink It?

Most people are familiar with alcohol brands like Bombay, Bacardi, and Malibu. However, not everyone is so familiar with Pimm's. Pimm's is a type of liqueur with four key ingredients to give it a unique flavor — gin, botanicals, spices, and quinine. 

Some variations of Pimm's, known as Pimm's Numbers 2-6, have slightly different flavors, although some have been discontinued. The remaining Pimm's variations are Pimm's No. 3, a brandy-based version now called Pimm's Winter Cup that uses wintery flavors like orange zest and baking spices. Or, you can try Pimm's No. 6, a vodka-based liqueur.

Pimm's may not be so well-known outside of Europe, but in the United Kingdom, it's the 7th most popular alcohol brand. The drink is most notable for being used in a popular cocktail called the Pimm's Cup. However, you can drink it on the rocks or mix it into your favorite soda or iced tea.

Historically, Pimm's is most commonly enjoyed during the Wimbledon tennis competition in Great Britain. People have been enjoying the Pimm's Cup at this British sporting event since 1971, when the Pimm's bar first opened at the tournament. Of course, plenty of people sip on this drink at other times as well. The liqueur has an interesting history and offers spectators a refreshing taste in cocktails.

James Pimm first made Pimm's liqueur in the early 1800s. Pimm was a British man who owned an oyster bar and developed a tonic his customers could sip on to help them stomach their raw oysters.

The tonic he came up with used gin as a base with added spices and quinine. It was a tastier way of drinking gin than just downing a glass on the rocks, and thanks to the botanicals in it, it was also thought to be good for your health. The resulting beverage has a sweet and citrusy flavor with hints of baking spices and an herbal finish, resembling a cross between a citrus iced tea and Jagermeister.

The drink became known as Pimm's Cup, although today, the original recipe is simply Pimm's, while Pimm's Cup is a cocktail. Today, Pimm's is a bottled liqueur that still uses many of the same ingredients and contains 25% alcohol content. It's a strong drink, which may partly be why people enjoy mixing it with things like lemonade and soda to help water it down.

As mentioned, you can always drink Pimm's on the rocks or in a classic Pimm's Cup. If you'd like to go for the latter, you can easily make a Pimm's Cup by mixing 5 ounces of lemonade with 1 ¾ ounces of Pimm's liqueur in a tall glass. Then, add fresh fruit such as strawberries and oranges. You can also garnish the glass with a mint sprig or a cucumber slice.

If you'd like to try a twist on the classic Pimm's Cup, another fun Pimm's-based cocktail is a Pimm's Ginger. For this, you'll want to start by muddling a slice each of orange, lemon, and cucumber along with a sprig of mint in the bottom of a cocktail glass. Then fill the glass with ice and add ½ ounce of ginger liqueur and 2 ½ ounces of Pimm's, then top it with ginger beer.

A different kind of Pimm's recipe altogether that you can try is something called a Pimm's Spritz. To make this cocktail, you'll need to pour 1 ½ ounces of Pimm's liqueur and 2 ½ ounces of lemonade into a wine glass. Add a scoop of ice and stir them together. Then, top the whole thing off with about ¾ ounce of sparkling wine. Garnish the drink with a mint sprig and a cucumber slice, and enjoy!