User post: How to Mix the Perfect Summer Cocktail

Photo credit: Ewan Munro, Wikimedia Commons

Summer hit hard and early in North Carolina this year. The heat, after a wet, wintry winter, was at first a welcome friend. We had daydreamed about summer afternoons frolicking in the sprinkler and lazy days reading comic books in the hammock. Those daydreams gave way to humid days with air quality warnings and a yard full of mosquitoes. Yet the heat lingers. The dry days carry on endlessly. And it's awfully hot.

There is a perfect way to bring back the refreshing parts of winter's chill in the midst of this summer heat. A Pimms Cup.

Pimms Cup is the quintessential summer drink that is traditionally served at Wimbledon. Its lower alcohol content makes it easy on your sobriety for daytime drinking yet leaves you feeling tingly and refreshed. It requires simple ingredients that most people have on hand (minus the Pimms, of course - that requires a trip to the liquor store). And if there is no Pimms to be found, you can easily substitute gin - preferably Hendrick's. The proportions and measurements are guidelines only, and this cocktail is flexible if you want the drink weaker or stronger.

Pimms Cup
1-2 ounces Pimms
2 ounces limeade or lemonade (good quality with pulp...I'm partial to Simply Limeade.)
2 ounces tonic
lime wedge
few slices of fresh cucumber

Fill a tall glass with ice. Slide a 3-4 cucumber slices into the glass between the ice cubes. Add Pimms. Top off with equal parts limeade and tonic. Squeeze in a bit of lime. Give it a gentle stir. Sip. Say ahhhhhh. Repeat, if you're not the designated driver.


Cheers to a deliriously cool summer!


Ilina writes at Dirt & Noise, where you can read her weekly 5:00 Fridays post that feature a new original cocktail recipe and the story that inspired it.