India Gimlet (up) Recipe

Combine and heat

In a small saucepan combine 3 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Stir over low heat until the sugar fully dissolves — do not boil.

Infuse

Remove the pan from heat, add the 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh dill, and cover. Let steep 10–15 minutes to extract a bright herbal flavor.

Strain and cool

Strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve or coffee filter into a small container to remove dill solids. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Yields about 3–4 tablespoons (0.5 oz) per cocktail; syrup will keep 5–7 days refrigerated.

Prepare glass and ingredients

Chill a coupe or martini glass in the freezer or fill with ice water while you build the drink. Measure 2 oz gin, 0.75 oz fresh lime juice, and 0.5 oz dill-infused simple syrup. Pick two small fresh dill sprigs for muddling and one frond for garnish.

Muddle dill

In a cocktail shaker, place the two dill sprigs and add the fresh lime juice. Gently muddle once or twice — just enough to release aromatic oils but not to shred the herb (over-muddling makes it grassy and bitter).

Build and shake

Add the 2 oz gin and 0.5 oz dill syrup to the shaker. Fill the shaker with ice (about 1 cup) and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until well chilled and slightly diluted.

Double strain

Discard ice or water from the chilled glass. Double-strain the cocktail into the glass using a Hawthorne strainer and a fine-mesh strainer to remove tiny dill fragments and ice shards for a silky finish.

Garnish and serve

Express a lime wheel’s oils over the drink and rub the rim if desired, then float the wheel on the glass. Lightly slap a dill frond between your palms to release aromatics and rest it across the rim. Serve immediately.