I remember my parents serving Pimms at their various drinks parties in the summer months during my childhood and remember the dark brown stuff being quaffed with assorted bits of apple, cucumber, borage and mint leaves floating in it. I started hitting the Pimms at Uni - barmy summer days in Scotland post exams were meant to be spent on the beach quaffing Pimms. Little did I realise that the stuff used to be a lot more potent than the emasculated stuff that appears nowadays. In the good old days, before I was a glint in the milkman's eye, the stuff used to weigh in at 37% a.b.v. or so, before being watered down to 31% and now of course a mere 20%. When served properly (i.e. mixed at 3 quarters lemonade and 1 quarter Pimms No.1 Cup) you are talking about a relatively innocuous brew.

Part of the problem is that the drink is quite expensive due to the fact that Pimms have a monopoly ? there are very few imitations floating around, which means you either put up or shut up. However, there is a solution, and once you discover it you will never drink pre-mixed Pimms again. Admittedly the recipe I am about to divulge will not look identical, and sure it tastes a bit different, but it is a corker served with lemonade ? far surpassing the pre-mixed stuff. The recipe is very simple, and obvious you use quantities in multiples do make up the amount you need. Granted you need good organisation skills to pull it off, as most people seem unable to serve a pre-mixed Pimms properly...

Take two measures of quality Gin (preferably with greater than 40% abv) i.e. Tanqueray or Bombay Blue Sapphire, two measures of red vermouth, and one measure of orange curacao and you have the alcoholic part of Pimms No.1 cup. It is the Gin that makes it No.1 cup, the only other cup sold in Britain is a vodka-based cup, Pimms No.6. Cups No. 2 to No. 5 are no longer sold in Britain, and it is not surprising given the fact that they are made of Whisk(e)y, Brandy, Rum or Rye. The bo
ttle is a very simple design - clear white glass and with a classical red on white label - the bottle resembling a typical round whisky bottle. As a drink the pre-mixed stuff is perfectly quaffable, however, once you have discovered the self-made stuff I doubt you will ever revert to the bottled stuff.

You can expect to pay about 14 pounds a bottle for the pre-mixed No. 1 cup, for a 70cl bottle, with tax free being the best place to get the 1 litre bottle, although sadly you don?t get export strength stuff! Admittedly it is a good deal cheaper than the requisite individual spirits although for the amount you layout you do get a lot more!

A final word to note is that Pimms is a long drink - a tall straight sided glass or a pint glass is the norm - although the latter is looked upon as being somewhat boorish. Pimms also do special glass offers, for you to enjoy the stuff in at its best, with Pimms stirrers, but this is not really necessary with pre-mixed Pimms. Borage is not that easy to get hold of, and fresh mint should always be used, and any fruit, if pre-cut should be stored in water to stop the apple from oxidising. Both apple and cucumber should be cut into cubes.

The pre-mixed Pimms is good for using in Pimms Royale (with Champagne), although I would warn anyone off purchasing Pimms in a can - the metallic taste that can prevail if it has been lying around is enough to put anyone off! Pimms as a drink is definitely a five star drink - although the pre-mixed stuff is mediocre and therefore only worth three stars.

PS Never drink Pimms neat - unless you're a drunkard ;-)