Winter Pimm's Cup

This winter pimm's cup is a delicious seasonal twist on the classic, more summery Pimm's cocktail. With a touch of spice, citrus and apple, it's bright and balanced. Even better, you can enjoy it warm or chilled as suits your mood (or the weather!)

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Pimm's is something that is very much associated with warm summer days, since you generally make it into a longer drink, iced and garnished. In the UK, the Pimm's cup cocktail is made with lemonade ( as it would be called there, ie Sprite/7 Up) while the New Orleans take has ginger beer. Either way, they suit the sunshine.

However it feels a shame to relegate a spirit to only one season. The makers of Pimm's apparently thought about this themselves and released a winter version of the original a few year's back. But since that is not as widely available, I've instead gone for a more cooler-weather combination using the classic Pimm's. And it's a lovely combination.

What is Pimm’s?

Pimm’s No 1 is a gin based liqueur that’s enhanced with a mix of herbal flavors. It's called "No 1" as originally, a whole range of Pimm's spirits were available, using different spirits as a base.

Over time, though, No 1 became the favorite. In case you do find Pimm's Winter, it's in large part the same as the old No 3 as it is made with brandy.

Given the complexity of flavors in Pimm's, it means any cocktail you use it in has a much more complex flavor without using lots of ingredients. But despite that, it's also more versatile than you might think - try my Pimm's mojito, for example.

Seasonal flavors

Going with a winter's feel can take a few directions. You could incorporate citrus like orange, spices like cinnamon or ginger, use apple cider or cranberry juice. Here I have gone with a little bit of a blend.

This drink incorporates a mix of flavors in the drink itself, and some to infuse or garnish. It is a Pimm's cocktail, after all, so there has to be garnishes!

In terms of specifics this drink is made up of:

• Pimm's No 1 as the base spirit (of course).
• Ginger syrup - a simple ginger-infused simple syrup (that's great for other drinks too, like a ginger mojito or ginger whiskey smash).
• Lemon juice - for a little brightness and to offset the sweet.
• Apple cider, or cloudy apple juice to make it into a longer drink and add flavor.
• Aromatic bitters - these add pretty much as the name implies.

To garnish and infuse, you can vary a little depending on what you have. Here I have used a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick. But you could switch the orange slices, for example, to slices of grapefruit, blood orange or lemon. If you want to be a bit fancier, you could add a skewer with cranberries and apple slices and/or an orange twist, too.

Chilled or warm!

I think this cocktail benefits from a bit of infusing to help the flavors mingle, so if serving cold, you can mix it up and place in the fridge for half an hour or more, much as you might with sangria.

Alternatively, you can warm the apple cider with the fruit and cinnamon to help infuse it. You can add the ginger syrup and lemon juice at this point too, if you like, but don't add the Pimm's before warming. Then mix in the rest, and enjoy it as a warm cocktail.

As you might have guessed from both of these options, this makes a great batch cocktail. Just multiply everything up and prepare in the same way. The one thing I wouldn't multiply up quite as much is the cinnamon stick - one stick will be just fine for two drinks, and also four. Only if you are making more than that would I suggest adding another.

If you'd like a gentle fizz, you can add a splash of sparkling water or ginger beer to the end drink in the chilled version right before serving. Warm, though, it doesn't really fit so just enjoy the flavors and the gentle steam on your nose instead.

This winter Pimm's cup is a lovely seasonal twist on the classic, with a tasty blend of cool-weather flavors, and seasonal garnishes to match. Whether chilled or warm, it's a delicious mix and perfect to sip on either on it's own or with, maybe, some Christmas cookies. So mix some up, and enjoy!

Try these other cocktails perfect for the cooler months:

• Calvados sour (a lovely autumnal twist on the sour theme using apple brandy - as simple as the original, but with a surprising complexity of flavor)
• Rum old fashioned (just a handful of ingredients, this rum variation of the classic is wonderful to sip on a cold evening)
• Pomegranate margarita (wonderfully colorful, this sweet-tart cocktail is perfect for festive parties)
• Plus get more cocktail recipes in the archives.

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