Pimm's
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Pimm's is a brand of alcoholic beverages now owned by Diageo. Its most popular product is Pimm's No. 1 Cup.
[edit] Products
There are six Pimm's products, only two of which remain in continuous production. The essential difference among them is the base alcohol used to produce them:[1]
- Pimm's No. 1 Cup is based on gin and can be served both on ice or in cocktails. It has a dark tea colour with a reddish tint, and tastes subtly of spice and citrus fruit. It is often taken with "English-style" lemonade, as well as various fruits including apples, oranges, lemons, strawberry, cucumber and mint. Pimm's is also mixed with champagne (or a sparkling white wine), called a "Pimm's Royal Cup." It is 25% alcohol by volume.
- can also be purchased as a pre-mixed fortified lemonade (Pimm's & Lemonade) in 250 ml cans or 1-litre bottles, at 5.4%.
- Pimm's No. 2 Cup was based on Scotch whisky. Currently phased out.
- Pimm's No. 3 Cup is based on brandy. Phased out, but a version infused with spices and orange peel marketed as Pimm's Winter Cup is now seasonally available.
- Pimm's No. 4 Cup was based on rum. Currently phased out.
- Pimm's No. 5 Cup was based on rye. Currently phased out.
- Pimm's No. 6 Cup is based on vodka. It is still produced, but in small quantities.
[edit] History and culture
Pimm's is most common in Britain, particularly Southern England. It is one of the two staple drinks at Wimbledon, the Henley Royal Regatta, and the Glyndebourne opera festival, the other being Champagne. A "Pimm's Cup" is also the standard cocktail at British and American polo matches.[2]
Pimm's was first produced in 1823, by James Pimm, a farmer's son from Kent who became the owner of an oyster bar in the City of London, near the Bank of England. Pimm offered the tonic, (a gin-based drink containing quinine and a secret mixture of herbs) as an aid to digestion, serving it in a small tankard known as a "No. 1 Cup", hence its subsequent name. Pimm's began large-scale production in 1851 to keep up with sales to other bars. The distillery began selling it commercially in 1859 using hawkers on bicycles. In 1865 Pimm sold the business and the right to use his name to Frederick Sawyer. In 1880 the business was acquired by future Lord Mayor of London Horatio Davies and a chain of Pimm's Oyster Houses was franchised in 1887.[3]
Over the years Pimm's extended their range, utilizing a number of other spirits as bases for new "cups". In 1851 Pimm's No. 2 Cup and Pimm's No. 3 Cup were introduced. After World War II, Pimm's No. 4 Cup was invented, followed by Pimm's No. 5 Cup and Pimm's No.6 Cup in the 1960s. In 1946, the corks were replaced by twist-off bottle caps.[4]
The brand fell on hard times in the 1970s and 1980s. The Oyster House chain was sold and Pimm's Cups products Nos. 2 to 5 were phased out in the 1970s due to reduced demand. In 2005, Pimm's reintroduced Pimm's Winter Cup, which consists of Pimms No. 3 Cup (the brandy variant) infused with spices and orange peel. In 2006 the Pimm's Company brand was bought by Diageo.[5]
