The Gimlet – Cocktail of the month

The latest season of the fabulously successful Mad Men is yet to air in the UK but we are awash with fifties- and sixties-style tributes. Whether you are reading magazines, watching TV, shopping on the high streets or sampling the summer festivals, the style associated with this era is back with a vengeance.

Part of that lifestyle was, of course, the iconic cocktails associated with the era. In Mad Men, iconic drinks such as the Martini, the Old Fashioned, the Manhattan, White Russians and the Gibson are quaffed at a rate rarely ever seen on TV.

One such drink is the Gimlet. It has been made famous in the series by ice-blonde bombshell Betty Draper, estranged wife of debonair advertising god Don. While he is busy "being creative" and womanising in New York, she takes comfort in the odd fantasy or two accompanied by a true friend to rely on - a cocktail - her preference being the fabulous, yet understated, Gimlet.

The story of the Gimlet goes back to 1747 when James Lind, a Scottish surgeon, discovered that citrus fruit could prevent scurvy, one of the most common illnesses on board ship. In 1867, Lachlan Rose, the owner of a shipyard, patented a process of preserving fruit using salts of sulphur, hence the iconic Rose Lime cordial. Once the benefits of drinking lime juice became more widely known, it was consumed in vast quantities by British sailors who combined it with gin. They named it Gimlet.

The recipe commonly used today replaces gin with vodka but Roses West India sweetened lime juice is still the best mixer to provide the unique tart flavour. It should be shaken and served in a Martini glass and garnished with a twist of lime.

Betty Draper enjoys hers made with Stoli. It is classic, classy, slick and a little "tarty", making this drink the perfect Betty Draper cocktail - pure sex in a glass.

THE GIMLET

INGREDIENTS

• 60ml Plymouth Gin (for naval connections)
• 20ml Roses Lime Cordial

METHOD

Stir with ice and fine strain into a chilled Martini glass, garnish with twist of lime.

Robbie Bargh, director,Gorgeous Group
020 7091 7492