The simple and at the same time surprisingly tasty cocktail which saved lives thousands of sailors which invention wasn't an idea of a miksolog at all.
In the 17th century the English sailors understood that the use of a citrus promotes prevention of a scurvy which is one of the most widespread diseases during long swimming.
In 1747 James Lind, the Scottish surgeon, conducted the clinical trial which proved influence of citruses against a scurvy. But also he claimed that the scurvy is a consequence of many factors - such as, for example, badly acquired food not of the best quality, the crude water, hours of overtime work and, as a result, total fatigue, dampness, bad conditions of accommodation. Therefore he didn't claim that citruses - a panacea from a scurvy and the only rescue.
In 1794 the vessel under the name of Suffolk was in swimming 23 weeks without stopping on the way to India, and in a diet of each member of the team there was one obligatory component - lemon juice. For all the time of a travel to one of sailors there was nothing deadly. This indisputable fact turned out to be consequence of the fact that since 1800 juice of a citrus became an obligatory component of a diet of all fleet. Often quoted Merchant Shipping Act (1867) made obligatory for all British ships lime juice inclusion in a diet.
As soon as the advantage of consumption of juice of citruses became widely known, the British sailors who consumed its large numbers began to mix it with a day portion of water and rum and to tenderly call Limeys.
Usually juice remained and didn't spoil thanks to a small amount of rum which was added to it, but in 1867 Lauchlin Rose - the owner of shipbuilding company in Scotland patented process of preservation of a fruit juice with sugar, but not alcohol as earlier. To introduce a product into widely circulation it packed them into attractive small bottles with the Rose's Lime Cordial label. Today in bars use lime I kordiat as premix, that is variit it in advance, and with gin mix when giving.
The legend says that so far privates drank rum, mixing it with lemon juice, the senior officers drank gin, of course, mixing it with Rose’s Lime Cordial.
As for a name, literal translation means "gimlet" - it is the small tool for opening of the barrels with alcohol transported by the British vessels.
Another story says that cocktail is called in honor of there is nobody the sea doctor by the name of Thomas Desmond Gimlette.
Despite accord, the gnome Gimli from the trilogy by professor John Ronald Rouel Tolkien it is perfect at anything here.
One of the most beloved cocktails of the wife of Timur Bekmambetov, Gimlet confirms that alcohol intake in reasonable doses is useful, and sometimes and is vital.