The Pimm’s Cup is obviously a cup, right? I mean it is in the name. So why was it advertised as “the original gin sling?” Or is it actually a punch? Is Pimm’s No. 1 a cup? Or is Pimm’s Cup a cup? And just what are cups, punches, and slings? All these questions will be answered, and not answered as we explore this simple, yet complicated drink. You may want to take notes on this one to follow along.

There isn’t a whole lot to this drink, so the focus of this episode is on the origins. Digging through the Pimm’s Cup story is a whole lot of lack of information, so we had to do some deep genealogical diving and piecing together to get to the bottom of it. We explore the man behind it, James Pimm, and why his special liqueur stood out among the rest of the fishmongers in the Poultry. We also try to figure out how it went from a drink marketed to a class of people who regularly played croquet at garden parties, to a nice refreshing summer concoction for the British masses.

Join us as we discuss the hardship of getting Pimm’s to British troops in the Sudan, London trade guilds, the odd popularity of oyster taverns, and a whole lot of craziness called the Oyster Wars. Honestly, give humans a chance, and they will fight over anything.

The recipe is: