Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Folks, It's Pimm's-o-Clock


Spring has finally hit London: the evenings are longer, the birds are my alarm clock in the morning, and the pollen count is high. As soon as the sun's out around this part of town, I always, always order (or make!) a glass of Pimm's. It's a ritual. The first sip brings me right back to the first time I'd tried it: on the Cherwell riverbank in Oxford, celebrating the completion of John's final exams Trinity term. We'd rented a punt for the afternoon with friends and spent our return nibbling at a picnic on the grass and drinking Pimm's and lemonade from red plastic cups.

Since then, Pimm’s has become somewhat of an “official” signifier of the summer season for me. The familiar, sweet taste instantly makes me think of balmy, lazy days spent in the park. It’s also so undeniably British, which is why I think it’s super popular in the US! 


Last weekend, we invited our neighbors over for a Sunday roast - which was so much fun. Instead of offering them wine or prosecco when they arrived, I made these Pimm's cups, which felt celebratory but relaxed. It also felt much more grown-up to be able to offer a variety of cocktails and drinks other than just ... water, which we totally used to do when we were moving from tiny flat to even tinier flat! It seemed like too much of an effort to keep spirits in the apartment since it was too small to host in, so I secretly love seeing the bottle of Pimm's perched at the front of our drinks cabinet now.

Here's the original Pimm’s recipe, but I like to use ginger ale in mine and load it up with heaping amounts of fruit. Ginger ale has a more subtle taste than ginger beer, and it's something we often drink in the States (I always ask for it on flights to settle my stomach!). It’s also not quite as sweet as lemonade (AKA Sprite/7UP for my American readers).




For these, I used slices of orange, lemon, cucumber, strawberries and a generous helping of mint, which was pretty restrained! On any other occasion, I would have thrown in some raspberries, blackberries and probably even more cucumber. I love picking out the Pimm's-drenched fruit at the end and I secretly judge pubs for the amount of fruit they put in their jugs of Pimm’s.

What's your favorite take on Pimm's? The classic, or a twist? Here are more great recipes from thebar, which I'm excited to try outdoors this summer (especially this tasty-looking Pimm’s Royale) assuming our gardens ever get "done"!

This post was sponsored by thebar. All opinions are my own.
SHARE:

26 comments

  1. Yes please! Your post feels like summer: the drink, the happy colors.. cheers!

    Aria

    https://pandaonavespa.wordpress.com/welcome/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, thanks, Aria! Hope you get to enjoy a glass soon! xo

      Delete
  2. I love the sound of adding the ginger ale - what a brilliant idea and a twist on the taste, I'll have to give that a try this summer. I love Pimms O'Clock!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Try it and let me know what you think, Rebecca! It's my favorite combination. :)

      Delete
  3. I can't believe I've lived in the UK all my life and I've never tried Pimm's...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love Pimm's, but I drink mine in MUCH bigger glasses!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd drink from the pitcher if I could, Ruth ... I feel like it's one of those drinks that should be served from fishbowls!

      Delete
  5. Ah, Pimms. Signifier of a hundred prep school summer events - a true marker of the season for me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish I'd been introduced to it much earlier, Claire! As an American, it sounds unbelievable cool to have had that at prep school events!

      Delete
  6. Dude, you are becoming so British inviting neighbours over for Pimms & a Roast!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh god, tell me about it. I've been meaning to write a blog post about it, actually. I find myself asking for/making tea a little too often for my own comfort lately.

      Delete
  7. I absolutely love a refreshingly cold glass of Pimms in summer!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gah! I wish I liked Pimms, always looks so lovely and summery!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh nooooo! I've never met anyone who didn't like Pimm's, Angie - you're the first!

      Delete
  9. Pimms really spells the start of Summer for me!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I need to up my drink garnishing game. I think if I can reach these standards then it'll make drinking non-alcoholic cocktails way more fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BAHAHAHA - the secret is in the straws, Sorcha. I bought these from Tiger for like GBP 1 (sorry, I'm in the States and cannot find the pound symbol!), which I was so happy about!

      Delete
    2. I have been shocked and amazed by all the fun summer party bits that Tiger have right now!

      Delete
    3. That place is a lifesaver - especially for party bits and pieces.

      Delete
  11. My first memory of Pimm's was also on the riverbank in Oggsford followed by more Pimm's whilst punting! And very much like you, the Pimm's-drenched fruit at the end is one of my favourite parts about this quintessential summer drink too :) xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YAY! I love that you associate it with Oxford too. :) xx

      Delete
  12. I love the classic Pimms, it's like the classic British barbeque drink. Adding ginger ale (or even ginger) sounds like it would taste amazing, must try! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It totally is, Maya! I hope we have a nice summer this year so we can sip this outside! xx

      Delete

© angloyankophile

This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services - Click here for information.

Blogger Template Created by pipdig