Game, Set, Pimm’s!

In case Andy Roddick didn’t tell you and you’ve been too swept up with Fourth of July antics, Wimbledon is taking place now through July 6.

In honor of the world-famous London-based tennis series, there’s no better way to celebrate and pretend to be there than by drinking Pimm’s in mass amounts. Commonly made with Pimm’s No. 1, lemon juice, and ginger ale, Pimm’s Cups are to summertime drinkers in England as lemonade is to Americans. The glamorous Pimm’s spirit has London pomp written all over it, and fortunately ample cocktail lists in town feature the spirit in classic and contemporary takes on Pimm’s Cups. Game, set, match.

One of the most elegant settings for cocktail consumption in Chicago also happens to serve one of the best novel interpretations of refined Pimm’s Cups. The Violet Hour’s Pimm’s Cup Variation #12 features Pimm’s No. 1, lemon, Plymouth Sloe Gin, grapefruit, and strawberry, a fruitful update to the norm.

At Sepia, head bartender Griffin Elliott is shaking up an homage to classic Pimm’s Cups with Pimm’s No. 1, strawberry-ginger shrub, and ginger beer.

Pimm’s Cups arrive by the pitcher at SideDoor, where beverage director Jeff Van Der Tuuk mixes Aviation gin with Pimm’s, housemade ginger ale, fresh lime, and cucumber.

A modern Filipino restaurant may not be the most expected destination for Pimm’s Cups, but lo and behold Laughing Bird is serving up Brit-accented refreshment in the form of its Pimm’s Ginger Cup. The simple classic contains Pimm’s, cucumber, and ginger beer.

Acadia’s Arunas Bruzas swaps in different seasonal ingredients regularly for his rotating Pimm’s Cup. Currently, the summery rendition contains gin, lemon, ginger, wild strawberries, and mint. Look for peaches in the near future as stone fruits roll into season.

The Violet Hour
1520 N Damen Avenue, Chicago
(773) 252-1500
Website

Sepia
123 N. Jefferson Street, Chicago
(312) 441-1920
Website

SideDoor
100 E. Ontario Street, Chicago
(312) 787-6768
Website

Laughing Bird
4514 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago
(773) 506-2473
Website

Acadia
1639 S. Wabash Avenue, Chicago
(312) 360-9500
Website