By Sushmita Sengupta
Many cocktails have a very fascinating story, but how many of them were originally conceived as a cure for a disease?
It is said that British sailors promoted and drank the Gimlet in the 19th century as a tonic to prevent Scurvy.
Scurvy is caused by a lack of vitamin C and is characterized by weak gums. Gimlet was first recommended as a cure by Sir Thomas Gimlett, a naval doctor.
Since plain lime juice was difficult to drink on its own, the addition of alcohol like gin made it more palatable.
Harry MacElhone, bartender at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, was known to have published the first printed recipe of the gimlet in his book Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails in 1923.