Celery Gimlet (recipe No. 2)
Muddle; Shake ∙ 4 min ∙ 20.5% ABV ∙
The Celery Gimlet is a savoury gin sour, shaking London dry gin with lime, sugar syrup, wine vinegar and celery over the classic gin-and-lime base. Crisp and vegetal, celery's green snap runs through tart lime and a faint herbal bitterness, with a sharp vinegar edge that keeps it savory rather than sweet.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- In the base of the shaker, muddle: Celery stick 10 cm and Celery salt 1 pinch
- Add the remaining ingredients: London dry gin 45 mlHerbal liqueur (e.g., Green Chartreuse) 10 mlLime juice 25 mlSugar syrup 15 mlWine vinegar 5 mlCelery bitters 2 dashes
- Shake with ice and fine strain into the ice-filled glass
- Garnish with a celery stick
Tips
- Muddle the celery stick briefly with the celery salt before adding liquids, then shake hard for 12-15 seconds to fully extract vegetal flavor; under-muddling is the main reason this drink tastes flat.
- Shake with plenty of fresh ice and fine-strain over a single large cube in the old-fashioned glass to avoid diluting past the intended balance from the vinegar and syrup.
- Add the wine vinegar last, right before shaking, so its sharpness doesn't oxidize or flatten while the celery macerates with the gin and Chartreuse.
- Dash the celery bitters directly onto the drink's surface after straining, then garnish with a fresh celery stick standing tall for aroma with each sip.
History
This drink is a celery-forward variation on the Gimlet, the classic gin-and-lime cocktail whose name is first attested in 1928. The Gimlet's origin is tied to the British Royal Navy, where sailors and officers received a daily ration of lime juice to ward off scurvy; the most common account credits naval surgeon Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette with encouraging messmates to mix their gin ration with the lime juice to make it more palatable, though this link to his name is not confirmed in his own era and an alternate theory holds the name instead comes from the gimlet, a small boring tool, describing the drink's sharp, piercing character. The classic proportions of equal parts gin and lime cordial were set out in The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. This variation keeps the gin-and-lime backbone but works fresh celery, celery salt, and a savory, vinegar-tinged edge into the build, departing from the sweeter, cordial-based original.
FAQ
How do you make a gimlet?
A classic gimlet is just gin and lime cordial or lime juice with sugar, shaken and served up or on the rocks. This build extends that base with celery salt, a fresh celery stick, an herbal liqueur such as green Chartreuse, sugar syrup, wine vinegar, and celery bitters, shaken and served over ice in an old-fashioned glass.
What is in a Celery Gimlet?
Gin, fresh celery, celery salt, an herbal liqueur, lime juice, sugar syrup, and wine vinegar, plus celery bitters if on hand, shaken together and poured over ice with a celery stick garnish.
Is a Celery Gimlet shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The lime juice, syrup, and vinegar all need the aeration and quick chill of a hard shake to integrate; stirring would leave the vinegar sharp and the celery unblended.
What glass is a Celery Gimlet served in?
An old-fashioned glass, garnished with a celery stick over ice, unlike the up-served coupe or cocktail glass a plain gimlet often gets.
What can I use instead of celery bitters?
Celery bitters are listed as nice to have, not essential, so the drink still works without them thanks to the fresh celery stick and celery salt already in the build. A dash of a bitter aromatic like Peychaud's or extra celery salt can approximate the same savory lift in a pinch.
What is the difference between a Tom Collins and a gimlet?
A Tom Collins is a tall, fizzy highball of gin, lemon, sugar, and soda water served long over ice, while a gimlet is a short, shaken gin-and-lime drink with no soda. The Celery Gimlet follows the gimlet's short, shaken format rather than the Collins's carbonated one.
