In eighteenth-century England, the riffraff drank gin, and the gents drank Rum Punch. In Queen Victoria’s Navy, they flipped it around. The officers drank gin, and the men drank rum—except for the teetotalers and the hungover, who drank soda water. Everybody, however, drank preserved lime juice. This twist on the venerable Gimlet covers pretty much the whole spectrum.
2 1/2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce Rose’s lime juice cordial
(optional: 2 dashes Angostura bitters)
To finish: 1 ounce chilled fizz water
1 teaspoon full-bodied, high-proof dark rum
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass; add the fizzy water and float the rum on top.
