Pimm's Cup

Few beverages capture the feeling of summer like a Pimm’s Cup. This iconic British cocktail is bright, refreshing, and filled to the brim with fruit. Even the late Queen Elizabeth rang in "Pimm’s O’Clock" at Buckingham Palace picnics.

The Pimm’s Cup gets its name from the herbaceous liqueur used as the base of the drink. In the mid-19th century, oyster bar owner James Pimm first invented his signature blend of gin, herbs, and quinine (the same ingredient used to make tonic water). Like with many liqueurs, Pimm’s was originally created as a medicinal tonic to solve digestive issues and stave off malaria. But at Pimm’s oyster bar in London, it was also the star ingredient of the “house cup”—a style of British punch that would evolve into the Pimm’s cup we know today.

He soon began bottling and selling the liqueur, which took the cocktail from a local legend to an international icon. Now people everywhere can celebrate summer with Pimm’s. The most common place to spot the cocktail, however, is at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. The first Pimm’s bar opened at the 1971 tournament and quickly became one of the event’s signature cocktails. Now nearly 80,000 Pimm’s Cups are served at Wimbledon every year.

The classic British recipe calls for Pimm’s and lemonade—but our lemonade is different from the one enjoyed across the pond. English lemonade is more of a carbonated lemon soda. American lemon lime sodas like Sprite or 7UP are a bit too sweet to be a proper substitute, so ginger ale is a more common stateside swap. But to add that refreshing citrus flavor, our recipe supplements the bubbles with some fresh lemon juice.

This recipe makes enough for one serving, but you can absolutely adjust it to make a large batch for your next party. In fact, why not set up an entire Pimm’s cup station? All you have to do is slice some extra fruit and pre-mix a pitcher of Pimm’s and lemon juice following the same ratio listed below. From there, your guests can fill their own glasses with ice, fruit, and the Pimm’s mixture before topping it off with ginger ale.

Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!