The French Gimlet offers a classy take on one of our favourite classic gin cocktail recipes.
The easy 3-ingredient cocktail features St Germain elderflower liqueur, premium gin and freshly squeezed lime juice.
The chic gin drink is both refreshing and tart. It’s one of our most beloved summer gimlet recipes because of its desirable sweet floral notes.
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What Is A French Gimlet?
A traditional French Gimlet is a gin gimlet prepared with elderflower liqueur.
The gimlet is a craft cocktail made of 2 parts gin and 1 part freshly squeezed lime juice, often balanced with simple syrup.
A classic 1920’s cocktail, it can be made with gin or vodka. Add St Germain to make it French, and skip the simple syrup as the liqueuer is already sweetened.
We love serving this Elderflower Gin Cocktail recipe in a coup glass, garnished with a lime wheel.
What Is St Germain Liqueur?
The eye-popping bottle is a reflection of the fine artisanal French liqueur held within.
Made with fresh hand-picked elderflower blossoms, without the use of preservatives. The aromas are fruit driven with floral hints. On the palate expect tropical fruit, citrus, pear and a hint of honeysuckle sweetness.
French Gimlet St Germain Gin Cocktail Recipe Ingredients
This homemade French Gimlet recipe is made with premium ingredients:
- St Germain Liqueur: this luxurious French liqueur is sweet and floral, prepared with elderflowers.
- Gin: use a premium gin like Aviation, Malfy or Tanqueray.
- Lime Juice: freshly squeezed lime juice adds a sublime acidity to the cocktail.
- Lime Wheel: garnish the coup glass with a lime wheel or slice before serving.
French Gimlet Elderflower Gin Cocktail Recipe Tips
This bright and floral French Gimlet recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 5 minutes.
Our easy St Germain Gin Cocktail serves one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a festive punch bowl or jug rather than a cocktail shaker.
We’ve used gin in this recipe but you can substitute with your favourite vodka if you prefer.
Be sure to squeeze fresh limes and never use concentrate. You can taste the quality difference!
An hour or two before you’re planning on serving this French Gimlet cocktail we suggest placing the St Germain and gin bottle in the freezer so they are well chilled.
Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment
Before hosting a swanky French Gimlet cocktail soiree you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.
- Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
- Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
- Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
- Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
- Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
- Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
- Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
- Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
- Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
- Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
- Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
- Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
- Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
- Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
- Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
- Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.
You May Also Enjoy These Gin Cocktails…
- Liquore Strega Saffron Gin Cocktail
- Italian Prosecco and Gin Cocktail
- St Germain Elderflower Gin and Tonic Cocktail
- Summer Strawberry Negroni Cocktail
- Aperol Negroni Cocktail
- Fresh Sage Gin Cocktail
- Gin Basil Smash Cocktail
- Negroni Spritz Cocktail
- Clarified Gin and Milk Punch Cocktail
- Raspberry Gin Fizz Chambord Cocktail
- Lavender Gin Cocktail Lemonade Fizz
- Pretty Pink Gin Cocktails
Best Selling Gin
Gin has certainly enjoyed a boom in popularity at cocktail bars in recent years. You’ll find fantastic premium gins distilled from Scotland to Muskoka. Here are some of the world’s best selling gins and some of our local small batch favourites:
- Gordon’s Gin: The world’s top selling gin brand is owned by Diageo. The brand’s pink iteration has undoubtedly helped to fuel its success. Gordon’s has also unveiled a line of new innovative products including two “ultra-low-alcohol” pre-mixed gin and tonic sparkling beverages and Gordon’s Gin-infused popsicles.
- Bombay Sapphire Gin: Bacardi-owned Bombay Sapphire is one of the worlds best-selling gins. Bombay Sapphire kicked off a new limited edition range with the launch of a gin inspired by summer in the English countryside.
- Tanqueray: Diageo-owned Tanqueray launched a new marketing campaign developed to shift consumers’ attention from “gimmicks” to flavour and unveiled a range of bottled ready-to-drink gin and tonics, made with its London Dry Gin and Flor de Sevilla Distilled Gin.
- Beefeater Gin: Pernod Ricard’s flagship gin brand is Beefeater. The brand launched strawberry-flavoured Beefeater Pink in 2018 and further expanded its portfolio with the debut of a new blood orange-flavoured gin.
- Seagram’s: Pernod Ricard-owned Seagram’s is a top seller having recently purchased Italian brand Malfy Gin.
- Hendrick’s Gin: Opened the door to its £13 million Gin Palace in 2018, allowing the brand to double its capacity to two million cases annually. The Scottish brand has also added to its portfolio with the launch of the limited edition summer solstice-inspired Midsummer Solstice gin.
- Edinburgh Gin: This craft distillery in Edinburgh produces a parade of flavoured gin bottles including rhubarb & ginger gin, raspberry gin, bramble & honey gin, black currant & anise, strawberry & pink peppercorn and pomegranate & rose.
- Dillon’s Distillery: This Beamsville producer makes small batch gins including rose gin, cherry gin and strawberry gin.
- Muskoka Brewery: This Ontario craft brewery produces a London Dry and spicy pink peppercorn gin.
How To Make A French Gimlet Cocktail Recipe
French Gimlet Cocktail
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
- Shot Glass
- Cocktail Glass
Ingredients
- 2 oz Gin
- 1.5 oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
- 0.5 oz Lime Juice
- Lime Wheel garnish
Instructions
- Add gin, lime juice, and St Germain Elderflower Liqueur to an ice-filled cocktail shaker.
- Shake for 10-15 seconds until cold.
- Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with lime wheel.
Nutrition
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