Today is the birthday of my fiance, Elizabeth. We had a wonderful evening, which was capped off by going to one of our favorite bars here in Greensboro. McCoul's Public House is a pretty cool joint right off of Elm Street, the main drag of downtown G-boro. They have great food, and they make an excellent Hot Toddy, which we both sampled tonight because of the extremely cold weather (apparently my jab at New England weather yesterday resulted in plummeting temperatures coming our way...crap)
Anyway, it was as I was about to order my second round of Hot Toddy's when I realized that they offered Pimm's. For those that are not familiar with Pimm's its (and this is taken on the faith of the bartender that I asked) a spiced, clove tasting liquor that can be derived from various alcohols. Pimm's No. 1, which is what I ended up sampling and is most common here in the States, is based on gin. However, the bartender that I asked (who shall be from here on referred to as Todd because of the Hot Todd-y he made us), told me that Pimm's can also be derived from tequila, rum, and other assortments of spirits.
The traditional drink that you make with Pimm's is a Pimm's Cup. To make one, you simply add ice to a rocks glass, and then cover the cubes with Pimm's (2 oz. should do the trick). Pour in lemonade and Sprite (but if you're like McCoul's and you didn't have these ingredients, sour mix works just fine). Shake well (as all good drinks should be), and then garnish with a cucumber wheel. And then drink away!
It was actually very, very tasty, and I highly recommend that you check one out the next time you're at a bar and they happen to serve Pimm's. And not just because it was tasty, but because it was different.
I got to talking with Todd, who told me that he rarely gets to experiment at the bar. People go in for a Bud Light or a Jack and Coke or maybe a Guinness and they're feeling all Irish and pubby. But that's about it.
And that got me to thinking why that is when there are so many wonderful concoctions out there to explore. Why drink the same old Coors Light when you've never tried a Harvey Wallbanger? Why stick to the tired gin and tonic when a Moscow Mule is waiting to greet you like the comrade you are?
And why stick to the same watered down, mundane well drink when a Pimm's Cup is there for the taking. Sure, it might be a little bit more expensive than what's on special. But it's so much better and so much cooler than any Jager drink that might be on the board. And for my money, that makes it worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment