Cooking Lesson #936: Pimm’s Cup No. 1

…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar

How you doin’? I always enjoy going to the local pubs in London to enjoy a good local brew or a Pimm’s Cup No. 1… a thirst-quenching, early fall drink that mixes lemony soda (or Sprite or ginger ale), fruit, cucumbers, mint, and a fortifying shot of gin (usually Hendrick’s). I found a pub in London last week that made a Pimm’s just the way the drink was invented in 1823 by James Pimm. Their fish n’ chips were great, too.
 
The younger 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.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Yield:  8 Pimm’s Cup Cocktails
 
Ingredients 
2 oranges, cut into half-moons
2 lemons, cut into half-moons
1 Persian cucumber (see ChefSecret) or one 3-in. long piece of English cucumber, washed and sliced
2 cups Pimm's No. 1
3 ounces Gin (I prefer Hendricks)
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, Gin 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:  The use of the pewter glass bottom tankard was the impetus for the toast, Here’s looking at you.
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Quip of the Day:  Guy walks into a pub and asks the bar man for a pint;
"That will be £0.05 please sir."
"Wow, in that case I will have a shot of whisky too."
"Certainly, that will be £0.03 sir."
"Damnnn, OK and a packet of crisps."
"0.01 please sir, £0.08 all together,"
"This is astonishing, can I speak to the owner of this place, I'd like to thank him,"
"Oh, not just now, he is busy, he is upstairs with my wife."
"What is he doing upstairs with your wife?"
"Same thing I am doing down here with his business."
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, and be kind—that’s the American way.  If you have a little extra in your pocket to share with others at this difficult recovery time, please consider donating to Samaritan’s Purse or the Red Cross.

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