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Virgin Pimm's Cup

The English summer drink — fruit, cucumber, mint and lemonade in a jug. Built for a garden and a crowd.

Virgin Pimm's Cup — a non-alcoholic drink served in a glass
Photo by Dinner Series · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Prep
10 min
Serves
6
Glass
Highball
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 3 cups strong brewed black tea, cooled
  • 0.5 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 0.25 cup simple syrup
  • 3 cups lemonade
  • 1 cucumber, sliced into ribbons
  • 1 orange, sliced
  • 1 cup strawberries, halved
  • Large handful of mint

Method

  1. 1Mix the tea, lemon juice and syrup in a large jug.
  2. 2Add the cucumber, orange and strawberries and refrigerate for at least an hour.
  3. 3Add the mint just before serving — added early it goes black and tastes stewed.
  4. 4Top with lemonade, stir, and serve over plenty of ice with fruit in every glass.

Notes

  • The black tea stands in for the Pimm's itself — it brings the tannin and the bitterness the fruit needs to push against.
  • Cucumber ribbons made with a peeler look far better than slices and release more flavour.
  • Mint last. Always.

Common questions

What does Pimm's taste like?

A gin-based liqueur with a bitter, spiced, citrusy character. Strong black tea with lemon and a little sugar gets surprisingly close, which is why this version works.

Make one of these next

  • Mocktail Sangria

    A pitcher that improves as it sits. The best thing to put on the table when you're hosting.

  • Party Fruit Punch

    A punch bowl that isn't sickly — built on tea and citrus rather than sugar, and it scales to any number.

  • Pink Lemonade

    Coloured with real fruit rather than syrup, and sharp enough to actually be refreshing.

A new recipe each month

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