PITTSBURGH — Cocktails are a wonderful thing because they offer such a wide array of flavors. Everyone has their favorite, with choices often predicated by the season.
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Cooler months tend to lean on beverages crafted with warm spirits like bourbon or scotch, while in summer we crave bright and refreshing drinks to chase away the heat. Often that means building them around citrus.
My oldest son, Dan, loves a sweet and cold tiki drink like a mai tai when it’s hot outside while his wife, Carolann, wants to be transported to Italy with a sunset-colored Aperol spritz.
My daughters associate summer with margaritas or cocktails topped with egg white foam “because they’re fresh and light. and I can drink a million of them,” says Catherine.
Post-Gazette wine expert Dave DeSimone has named his favorite — an icy cold gin and tonic crafted with a London dry gin.
I root for the gimlet, a sweet and tart mix of gin, lime juice and simple syrup that is believed by some to have gotten its start as a preventative medicine.
To prevent scurvy on British warships in the 1880s, sailors drank a daily ration of citrus juice. But the fruit often went bad during long voyages, so Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette suggested adding gin to make it more palatable, or so the story goes.
Eventually, the drink made its way to bars, where it was embraced by the drinking public. In 1922, the gimlet cocktail made with Rose’s lime juice turned up in Harry MacElhone’s “ABC’s of Mixing Cocktails,” and the rest is cocktail history.
Whether it was named after the admiral or the drilling tool that had a similar “penetrating” effect on sailors is anyone’s guess. What’s not debatable is that Fig & Ash in the North Side’s Deutschtown neighborhood makes one of the best gimlets in the city.
It’s popularity in summer, says bar manager Rachel Sinagra, “is just one of those things, maybe because it’s citrusy and light.”
With just three ingredients, it’s also incredibly simple. To make a gimlet that shines, however, you have to be very picky about the ingredients.
To keep the drink refreshing, Sinagra says gin with a lemony undertone is essential. At Fig, they use Philadelphia-made Bluecoat, an American gin with a botanical, citrus-forward flavor.
“You can also use Hendrick’s,” which is known for its notes of cucumber.
But you probably want to steer clear of juniper-heavy gins, such as Bombay or Tanqueray, which will overwhelm the other ingredients.
Also essential is freshly squeezed lime juice instead of a lime cordial like Rose’s lime juice, which is concentrated and heavily sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup. The taste will be brighter and more complex.
To avoid diluting the drink, Sinagra builds it “dry,” meaning she adds the ice after the alcohol, juice and simple syrup have been measured into the shaker. Then, she vigorously shakes it just enough to mix and chill it. She knows when to stop by the sound indicating the ice has cracked up into little chips.
The final step is pouring the finished cocktail into the proper glassware — a coupe or a maybe a Nick & Nora.
A glass with a wide bowl is important, she says, because “you want it to be open at the top and easy to enjoy.” The stem on each of the glasses also keeps the drinker’s hand from warming the sides.
“You want it to be chilled,” she says.
To make the simple syrup that balances the cocktail with a touch of sweetness, Sinagra always does a “spoon test” to determine the right consistency. The syrup should be a little thin, but also have some viscosity.
One great thing about a gimlet, Sinagra adds, is that the cocktail can be tweaked to personal preference. Replacing the gin with vodka is just one example.
“It’s really easy to make at home.”
Classic Gimlet
Citrusy and light, a gin gimlet is undeniably perfect in its simplicity. At Fig & Ash, it’s made with Bluecoat American Dry Gin, a dry gin with a lemony undertone that is suited to citrus-forward cocktails.
The simple syrup is also house-made from one part water to one part sugar.; one lime yields about 1 ounce of juice.
The best glass for a gimlet has a shallow, broad bowl such as a coupe, but you also can use a tulip-shaped Nick & Nora.
INGREDIENTS
2 ounces gin
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
DIRECTIONS
Combine gin, lime juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake until well-chilled.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lime wheel.
Makes 1 cocktail.
— Rachel Sinagra, Fig & Ash
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