Pimm’s Cup

Pimm’s Cup, a British drink consisting of a gin-based liqueur (Pimm’s No. 1 Cup) that is mixed with sparkling lemonade or ginger ale and served in a highball glass with ice, assorted fruits, and mint.

James Pimm, the owner of a London oyster bar, invented the drink sometime between 1823 and 1840. The original version featured gin, quinine, and various herbs, and it reportedly aided digestion. The drink was known as the “house cup,” which inspired the name “Pimm’s No. 1 Cup”; later it was typically shortened to Pimm’s Cup. Over the years five more “cups” were created, each with a different alcohol base: No. 2, featuring Scotch whisky; No. 3, brandy; No. 4, rum; No. 5, rye whiskey; and No. 6, vodka. In addition, bartenders will sometimes offer Pimm’s Cups numbering 7 and higher, and those drinks feature such spirits as tequila, bourbon, or absinthe. However, it is the gin-based No. 1, served traditionally with lemonade (which is clear and carbonated, more akin to lemon-lime soda) and mint or fruity garnishes—usually orange and lemon, although strawberry, apple, and even cucumber may also be used—that is the most popular type of Pimm’s Cup. The sweet libation is the signature drink of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, where the first Pimm’s bar opened in 1971, but it is also enjoyed widely across Britain in the summer months.