Product: Pimm's No. 1 Producer: Diageo Great Britain Limited Approximate Retail Value: $20/bottle Category: Liqueur Country of Origin: United Kingdom Reviewer: J. Harding The F Words: Flavor – Tangy and fruity. Feel – Crisp and summery. Tastes like a grown-up picnic. Finish – Spicy, subtle.

Rating:

There are many things about the British that I dislike. The way they talk about the Queen as if she wasn't a vacuous tourist attraction but an actual monarch. The manner in which they've embraced tea, or "what coffee would piss if coffee could," as I like to call it. And the fact that everything on the Emerald Isle is roughly 33 percent smaller than it is in the United States. But despite all these frustrations, I have to give the British credit for their attitude towards alcohol. A nation that gave the world (or stole from the world, depending on how much you like the Dutch) both gin and whiskey is a nation that I can learn to love. A nation that can throw in a few free pints of lager can take me to the local ice cream social as well. I may even put out.

 So, it's with love in my heart and promiscuity on my mind that I bring you Pimm's No. 1, straight from Mother England. This gin-based liqueur (Pimm's at one time made other products based on vodka, rum, brandy, etc. Only No. 6, based on vodka, remains.) is the dark, spicy, and slightly sweet foundation for a Pimm's No. 1 cup, the signature cocktail of aristocratic garden parties and the hemophiliacs who attend them.

Pimm's, lemonade, and slices of cucumber, apple, mint, and orange mixed over ice create a distinctly British and wonderfully satisfying cocktail. It's sweet and tangy, full of complex flavors that keep you interested to the last drop. I have never actually ordered a Pimm's No. 1 cup at a bar, so be forewarned. Most bartenders I know consider maraschino cherries an appropriate replacement for slices of cucumber, apple, mint, and orange, so you might get a slightly modified beverage.

If you are at a bar, you may also consider adding a shot of gin from that hip flask I know you have, because Pimm's clocks in at 25 percent alcohol, a little weak even for the British. Your local liquor store should stock it for around $20, so consider it as a unique and quirky cocktail option for your next dinner party or child's play date. You may find yourself singing "God Save the Queen" as you give little Jimmy sips from your flask. You monster.