If there was ever a more ubiquitous drink of the British Summertime, quaffed at places as posh as the Queen’s Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace in London, the Boating Regatta at Henley upon Thames and the All England Lawn Tennis Championship now being played on the grass Courts of Wimbledon, it is this quintessentially British Summer drink

Pimms No.1 – What a beautiful bottle!

When I first moved to the US, it was a little harder to come by but now most Liquor stores carry Pimms No.1 (or, Pimms Cup)

Pimms is a wonderful beverage, the perfect summer mixer which makes a great Punch type drink.  For those tired of chilled wine, Sangria and the ubiquitous IPAs, this drink, where you control the ‘punch’ of the Punch is a must

It’s incredibly easy to prepare and my other half and nearly all our American friends to whom I’ve introduced Pimms over the years now insist I bring a bottle when I’m invited to their BBQs!

Ingredients

• 1/4 to 1/3 of the bottle of Pimms (assuming it’s a 750ml one)
• 3/4 to 2/3 Lemonade – Unfortunately there’s no exact equivalent to British Lemonade here in the US. It’s a mind boggling $30+ to ship 1 bottle of it. So I suggest you use Sprite, or 7-Up as an alternative. Sorry US style Cloudy lemonade, or fresh lemonade does not work well
• Half a jug of ice cubes
• Half a Cucumber quartered lengthwise
• Half a Lemon, orange and apple (cored) diced in 1/4 inch pieces
• A handful of strawberries quartered
• A dozen mint leaves
  

  The Fruit chopped and soaking in the Pimms

Preparation

• Put all the fruit and mint leaves in a large jug
• Pour in the Pimms and swirl around
• Let the Pimms soak into the fruit for 1/2 hr +
• Pour in the ice and mix
• Slowly pour in the ‘lemonade’ (if you pour to quickly it will be all fizz and no Pimms!)
• Serve in tall glasses spooning in the fruit and ice

Pimms O’Clock

As we Brits say:

“BOTTOMS UP!”

And before I forget, have a Very Happy July 4, to all of you of the US persuasion!