The Pimm's Cup is the English summer drink: Pimm's No. 1 (a gin-based, herbally bittered liqueur) topped with British lemonade — closer to Sprite than to American lemonade — and garnished extravagantly with cucumber, mint, citrus, and strawberries. The drink is named after James Pimm, who owned an oyster bar in London and around 1840 began serving a house gin sling that became his signature. The bottled version was launched commercially in 1859 and has been produced continuously since.
A drink ordered at Wimbledon, served at Henley, and disappointed in by every American who imagines it as something fizzier.
James Pimm and the Original Sling
James Pimm ran an oyster bar in the City of London from the 1820s. Around 1840 he began serving a house gin-based aperitif — a gin sling bittered with a proprietary herbal liqueur, which he labeled Pimm's No. 1 Cup. The drink was successful enough that Pimm began bottling the liqueur itself for sale at other bars; commercial production started in 1859, and by the late 19th century Pimm's had expanded the line to numbered variations (No. 2 with Scotch, No. 3 with brandy, etc.) before retreating to just No. 1 and the brandy-based No. 3 "Winter Cup" of the modern era.
The Pimm's Cup is the canonical drink built around Pimm's No. 1. It became inseparable from English summer events — Wimbledon (annual tennis championship, where Pimm's is the official cocktail), Henley Royal Regatta (annual rowing event), and a long list of cricket grounds, polo fields, and garden parties. The drink survived the 20th century by being relentlessly seasonal, gentle in alcohol, and visually distinctive.
The Spec
Two ounces of Pimm's No. 1 in a tall glass with cubed ice, topped with four to six ounces of British lemonade (Sprite, 7Up, or Schweppes Lemonade) or ginger ale. Garnish heavily: a cucumber spear, a strawberry or two, an orange slice, a sprig of mint. The garnish is structural — the herbs and fresh fruit are part of the drink's flavor, not just decoration.
British Lemonade vs American Lemonade
British "lemonade" is a clear, carbonated, sweet citrus soda — closest to Sprite or 7Up. American "lemonade" is flat, uncarbonated, lemon-juice-and-sugar water. The Pimm's Cup requires the British kind. Substituting American lemonade flattens the drink and over-sweetens it. If you can't find a British-style lemonade, Sprite is the cleanest equivalent; Schweppes Lemonade (sold in the UK and at some U.S. import shops) is the authentic option.
Ginger Beer Variant
Some bars use ginger ale or ginger beer in place of lemonade — the drink becomes spicier, drier, and slightly heavier. It's a defensible variant; the lemonade version is the historically authentic one.
The Garnish Is Not Optional
Cucumber, mint, strawberry, orange. A proper Pimm's Cup looks like a small fruit salad in a glass; the herbs and fresh fruit infuse the drink as it sits. A naked Pimm's Cup with no garnish is incomplete — closer to gin and lemonade. The traditional move is a long cucumber spear that the drinker can use as a stirrer.
Bottom Line
The Pimm's Cup is one of the genuinely lower-ABV cocktails in the British canon — three or four are appropriate at a Wimbledon match — and one of the few cocktails that improve with elaborate garnish. It rewards a bottle of Pimm's that you only need to buy once a summer, and rewards a careful approach to the fruit and herbs. Make one on a warm afternoon; understand why the English have a national investment in it.