Meet the Fruit Cup, the Parent of the Iconic Pimm’s Cup

What do Wimbledon and New Orleans have in common? If you’ve ever been to either, you know it’s the Pimm’s Cup, an iconic summer drink hailing from the United Kingdom. But you might not know that the Pimm’s is just the most well-known example of a category of cocktails called the Fruit Cup or Summer Cup. As the name implies, this type of drink is perfect for hot days when peak produce is in season — like right now.

To get the lowdown on this British staple, we talked to Luca Rapetti, director of the United Kingdom Bartenders’ Guild and vintage cocktail book collector.

Early Versions

Rapetti dove into the archives to find early mentions of the Fruit Cup. “One of the most comprehensive records of these drinks is William Terrington’s ‘Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks’ from 1869,” he says. “It contains nearly 50 recipes built around a common structure: an alcoholic base, sugar, citrus juice, infused fruits or herbs, and a sparkling component such as soda water.” That base is still the same today, though early recipes “reflected Britain’s fascination with imported and exotic ingredients,” per Rapetti. Think lemon, ginger, nutmeg, and citrus with wine-like bases of sherry, Madeira, Port, claret, Champagne, cider, mead, and perry.

The specs of the early 20th century were simpler than today’s and generally featured cucumber peel (still common) and borage flowers. The herb and its flowers, which are crisp and taste of cucumber, were once a defining ingredient in the category Rapetti calls “British cooling drinks.” Several of his tomes praise its medicinal, refreshing qualities and historical association with “Cups.”

While early “Cups” contained fruit and botanical ingredients, “they were not necessarily marketed as the summer refreshments we recognize today,” Rapetti says.

Pimm’s No. 1

Pimm’s entered the scene in 1840 when it was supposedly first blended by James Pimm from gin, herbs, and liqueur to help diners digest oysters at his London bar. By the 1930s, there was a range of Pimm’s based on other spirits like brandy, vodka, and tequila, but these were all but discontinued when Diageo took over the company in 1969. The base recipe has always been a closely guarded secret, but we do know that the bottled gin punch is generally lengthened with lemonade (which is sparkling across the pond), ginger ale, or soda.

“Pimm’s became the benchmark for Fruit Cups largely because of its balanced profile, neither overly sweet nor excessively bitter, achieved through the infusion of herbs, fruits, and spices,” Rapetti explains. It is now one of the most iconic summer drinks in the U.K., and during Wimbledon, thousands of glasses are served daily. Outside of the tennis tournament, Rapetti says, the Pimm’s Cup is commonly found at pubs, bistros, and restaurants serving traditional British fare. “Pimm’s itself remains so deeply embedded in British pub culture that customers will often order it, assuming it is available, even if it does not appear explicitly on the menu,” he says.

To garnish, there are a few things that drinkers consider essential. Though the combo may leave you wondering if there’s even room for a straw, a Pimm’s Cup is generally topped with fresh mint, cucumber, strawberries, and orange. This assortment picks up on the taste and aroma of the Pimm’s mix.

The brand also occupies an important place in British bartending history (and has been a long-standing supporter of the U.K. Bartenders’ Guild over the years). J.P. Finney, who was then the managing director of Pimm’s, was present at the 1951 meeting at the Grand Hotel Torquay that officially marked the founding of the International Bartenders’ Association — an event that is “widely regarded as a milestone in modern bartending history, paving the way for the establishment of bartender associations around the world,” Rapetti says.

As for how it became a staple in New Orleans, it was brought stateside by the owner of the restaurant Napoleon House in the French Quarter in 1940. There, still lemonade and 7Up soda were swapped in for the sparkling British lemonade, and the drink took off in the muggy city.

Other Versions

While Pimm’s is clearly the best-known version of the Fruit Cup, there are other packaged versions of the base (notably, the Sipsmith London Cup, a contemporary alternative) and bars that mix up their own recipes. House versions, whether at a bar or home, offer the ability to create something distinctive yet familiar. “Broadly, Fruit Cups tend to emphasize seasonal produce, with the choice of fruit and herbs depending on the base spirit or liqueur and the overall style of the drink,” Rapetti says.

For your own version, he suggests choosing an amaro or herbal liqueur to start and balancing the drink with fruit syrups, fresh citrus, or other ingredients that “soften bitterness and enhance freshness.” Rapetti favors a Fruit Cup built around citrus and mint and prefers ginger ale to lemonade. In the fall, sparkling cider and sliced apples make a nice seasonal version.

A menu might also offer a Fruit Cup without explicitly using those words in the drink’s name. Anything built around gin, fruit, herbs, and a sparkling mixer falls into the category. So this summer, when you’re looking for a refreshing cocktail, mix up your own Fruit Cup and toast to over two centuries of the tradition.

The article Meet the Fruit Cup, the Parent of the Iconic Pimm’s Cup appeared first on VinePair.