Cooking Lesson #103 Pimm’s Cup No. 1

Pimm's Cup No. 1 Cocktail

How you doin’?  Pimm’s Cup No. 1 is a thirst-quenching, supremely summery drink (in England, it’s a must at cricket matches and Wimbledon), that mixes lemony soda (or Sprite or ginger ale), fruit, cucumbers, mint, and a fortifying shot of gin. It is a gin-based drink invented in 1823 by James Pimm. The Pimm’s was a house specialty bar libation at The Ben Jonson, The Five Crowns and Tam O’ Shanter—owned by the Lawry’s Restaurant Group.
 
Mr. Pimm, an enterprising farmer's son from Kent, became the owner of a small oyster bar in the City of London, near the Bank of England. He offered his magic tonic (a gin-based drink containing a secret mixture of herbs and liqueurs) as an aid to digestion, serving it in a small pewter, glass bottom tankard known as a "No. 1 Cup", hence its subsequent name.
 
In 1851, Pimm's No. 2 Cup and Pimm's No. 3 Cup were introduced. Pimm's began large-scale production in 1851 to keep up with sales to other bars. The Distillery began selling it commercially in 1859. In 1865, Pimm sold the business and the right to use his name to Frederick Sawyer. In 1880, the business was acquired by future Lord Mayor of London Horatio Davies, and a chain of Pimm's Oyster Houses was franchised in 1887.
Over the years, Pimm's extended their range, using other spirits as bases for new "cups". After World War II, Pimm's No. 4 Cup was invented, followed by Pimm's No. 5 Cup and Pimm's No. 6 Cup in the 1960s.
 
The Distillers Company was subsequently purchased by Guinness PLC in 1986  and Pimm's became part of Diageo when Guinness and Grand Metropolitan merged in 1997.[4] In 2005, Pimm's introduced Pimm's Winter Cup, which consists of Pimm's No. 3 Cup (the brandy-based variant) infused with spices and orange peel.
Ingredients
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Yield:  8 Pimm’s Cups
 
Ingredients
2 oranges, cut into half-moons
2 lemons, cut into half-moons
1 Persian cucumber (see ChefSecret) or one 3-in.-long piece English cucumber, washed and sliced
2 cups Pimm's No. 1
4 cups Sprite or other lemon-lime soda
6 to 8 large sprigs mint, crushed gently, plus a few loose leaves
 
Directions

1. Fill 2 pitchers 1/4 full of ice.
2. To each, add a layer of orange slices, a few lemon slices and a layer of cucumber slices. Repeat the layering.
3. Pour in the Pimm's and Sprite, dividing between pitchers, and mix with a long-handled spoon.
4. Poke mint sprigs and leaves down into drink.
5. Divide drink among 8 tall glasses, with a few slices of fruit and cucumber in each glass, along with some mint leaves.

 
ChefSecret:   Persian cucumbers are small, thin-skinned, virtually seedless, and very tasty. They're sold at well-stocked grocery.
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