• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Keeping It Simple Blog

  • All Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    You are here Home » Recipes » food

    By: Melissa

    French Gimlet

    This French gimlet recipe is a classic gimlet with the addition of St Germain elderflower liquor. The elderflower liquor adds a sophisticated floral sweetness to the tart limes and really makes the best lime gin cocktail. This delicious and easy elderflower gimlet is perfect in the summer months or anytime you want a quick to make cocktail.

    french gimlet on table
    Jump to Recipe
    Total Time: 3 minutes minutes

    Now, I don't know about you but if I can make a drink with just a few ingredients and it comes out as delicious as this French gimlet, I am making it often! This elderflower and lime gin cocktail is just that kind of drink.

    If you are not familiar with elderflower liquor (St Germain), it is a sweet French liquor flavored with elderflower and it is so delicious in so many cocktails. I also use it in my Gin and tonic with grapefruit for additional sweetness.

    It is a great addition to any home bar!

    What is a French Gimlet

    Now that I have hopefully convinced you to stock up on St Germain, let's dive into the French gimlet. A classic gin gimlet is just lime, gin and some sort of sweetener.

    Usually, the sweetener is either roses lime juice, or a simple syrup. A French gimlet uses the sweet elderflower liquor as the sweetener so there is no need to go and buy anything else or make a simple syrup.

    It also has the bonus of the light flavor of elderflower which pairs so well with a lime gin gimlet. It really is a perfectly balanced easy cocktail.

    Ingredients you will need

    There are only a few ingredients you will need for this French gimlet. Here they are:

    french gimlet ingredients
    • Gin. Your favorite brand.
    • Limes or lime juice. You can use bottled lime juice or juice your own.
    • St Germain Elderflower liquor.
    • Optional: If you like spicy, you can add a few dashes of your favorite spicy bitters. If I have it, I like to use it because I like spicy cocktails.

    You only need 3 ingredients to make this French elderflower gimlet. As I mentioned above, if you love spice, go ahead and add some in to the gimlet.

    I like to sip on this sweet and tart French gimlet with or with out the heat. It is totally up to you!

    How to make

    This recipe could not be any easier to make. Honestly, it will only take you a couple minutes to make this delicious gin lime cocktail.

    Here are the steps:

    1. Add ice to a cocktail shaker.
    2. Add lime juice, gin, and St Germain to the shaker.
    3. Shake well until the shaker is nice and cold.
    4. Pour through a strainer into a martini glass.
    5. Enjoy!
    French gimlet

    Variations

    This French gimlet recipe is great just the way it is but you can certainly change things up a bit. Here are some ideas:

    • Use vodka instead of gin to make a vodka elderflower gimlet.
    • Make it spicy. I like adding a little heat to my cocktails and a dash of spicy bitters or some cayenne pepper would go great with this French gimlet.
    • Add some herbs to add more of a botanical note to the drink. Fresh basil or rosemary would be a great addition to the French gimlet.
    elderflower gimlet

    Pairing Ideas

    If you are looking for ideas of what to serve with this French gimlet, here are some ideas:

    • baked brie with puff pastry
      Baked Brie en Croute with Jam
    • savory palmiers
      Savory Palmiers with Parmesan and Ricotta
    • calzones sheet pan
      Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry Calzones

    More Recipes Like This

    If you love this French gimlet recipe, you will also love these:

    • baileys martini
      Baileys and Vodka Martini
    • grapefruit gin and tonic
      Gin and Tonic with Grapefruit
    • Miami Vice Cocktail
      Rhubarb Cocktail with Vodka
    • Aperol and soda in glass
      Aperol and Soda- A Quick Aperol Cocktail

    Faqs

    What is a French Gimlet?

    A French gimlet is a classic gimlet that has elderflower liquor added to it.

    What does a French gimlet taste like?

    A French gimlet is tart from the limes, sweet from the elderflower liquor and it has a touch of botanical flavor from the gin. It is a little sweet and little tart and a perfectly balanced cocktail for all seasons.

    french gimlet on table
    elderflower gimlet
    Print Recipe
    5 from 8 votes

    French Gimlet

    A delicious and simple gin lime gimlet with the addition of elderflower liquor.
    Prep Time3 minutes mins
    Total Time3 minutes mins
    Servings: 1 cocktail

    Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!

    Author: Melissa

    Equipment

    • 1 cocktail shaker
    • 1 martini glass

    Ingredients

    • 2 ounces Gin
    • 2 ounces St Germain Elderflower liquor
    • 2 ounces Lime juice
    Follow Keeping It Simple Blog On Pinterest

    Instructions

    • Add about one cup of ice to a cocktail shaker.
    • Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker then add top to the shaker.
      2 ounces Gin, 2 ounces St Germain Elderflower liquor, 2 ounces Lime juice
    • Shake well until cocktail shaker is nice and cold.
    • Pour through a strainer into a martini glass.
    • Garnish with lime (optional).
    • Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 28IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.1mg

    Nutrition Values are estimates only.

    See full nutrition disclaimer here
    Course :cocktails, Drinks, entertaining

    More food

    • banana coffee cake
      Moist and Fluffy Banana Coffee Cake
    • peanut butter cookies
      Homemade Old-Fashioned Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
    • au jus from pan drippings
      Au Jus Recipe: Easy And Delicious
    • Slicing boneless prime rib
      Boneless Prime Rib Roast with Au Jus

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Bill says

      September 07, 2023 at 10:02 pm

      5 stars
      This was my first time trying a French gimlet and it turned out great! Loved the flavors and so easy to make.

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        September 08, 2023 at 11:35 am

        I am so glad you enjoyed it 🙂

        Reply
    2. Bethany says

      March 14, 2023 at 5:48 pm

      5 stars
      This was the tastiest cocktail! So simple and the flavor is amazing. I know what I will be drinking all summer:)

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        March 15, 2023 at 11:36 am

        So glad you enjoyed it Bethany!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Keeping It Simple Blog!

    keeping it simple blog portrait

    I am so excited you are here. My name is Melissa and I started this recipe website a few years ago to share recipes that I have been cooking for family and friends for years.

    More about me →

    Try Out These Easy Dinner Favorites!

    • cheese tortellini closeup
      Cheese Tortellini with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
      Cook Time30 Minutes
    • ham and cheese pasta
      Creamy Ham and Cheese Pasta
      Cook Time20 Minutes
    • pot roast sandwich
      Pot Roast Sandwich
      Cook Time40 Minutes
    • closeup of white wine garlic butter sauce
      White Wine Garlic Butter Sauce For Pasta
      Cook Time25 Minutes
    • cheesesteak
      Easy Philly Cheesesteaks
      Cook Time30 Minutes
    • air fryer hot dogs in bun copy
      The Best Air Fryer Hot Dogs
      Cook Time5 Minutes
    • closeup of blackened tuna
      Blackened Seared Tuna
      Cook Time25 Minutes
    • seared pork chops
      Quick Seared Pork Chops
      Cook Time34 Minutes

    More recipes →

    Featured In:

    logos of publications that Keeping It Simple Blog has been featured in

    Footer

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Featured In

    logos of publications that Keeping It Simple Blog has been featured in

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    Privacy Policy

    Accessibility

    Newsletter

    Contact

    Copyright © KeepingItSimpleBlog