A Sip & Style summer feature on British identity, class theatre, and the fruit that reveals us by Tobias Kelham
Pimms and British Pimms for our international readers this is a uniquely British drink, unlike tea it’s more a summer potion. As a classic beverage, containing the acholohe of the same name (ah British naming convention), lemonade over Ice in abundance , before a mountain of fruit, and garnished with mint. Of course people mix and personalise their own Pimms, essentially creating the ultimate self identify drink (very modern for something that emerged from the 1840s medicine cabinet). Just like the British themselves, the Pimms recipe, terms and etiquette evolved organically just like the fruit that swims in the eccentric Elixir. Once the digestion aid became popular the act of consuming it became known as having a cup, or having a Pimms cup, naturally the drink went from consumed in moderation as a medical tonic, or had alongside oysters. To the Sunny Edwardian garden party it became the staple to any sunny out door function (Pimms weather of course).
Across the season, the Wimbledon Purist is spotted, Pimm’s in hand, as if it came with the dress code. Wimbledon has been serving Pimms since the 1970s, and last year, the event saw off more than 300,000 glasses. To hold a Pimm’s cup in SW19 is to feel like part of the action. The Purist’s ritual of one jug, two sets, three compliments about the strawberries, is a 21st-century update on an old Pimm’s tradition, and a means of getting inside the Wimbledon theatre without a tennis racquet. The Pimms Cup is, in effect, a VIP pass to SW19.
Illustration by Zachary Costello
Meanwhile, in the deep shade of the country estate, the Country‑House Conductor is also presiding over the Pimm’s jug. In this rarefied habitat, fruit ratios are matters of great importance. These devotees tend to have family history that runs deeper than the 1920s, when Pimm’s began its celebrated reign as the great arbiter of upper-class summer entertaining. The Country‑House Conductor regards their Pimm’s as a domestic possession, reflecting a cherished set of domestic traditions.
And always, one must allow space for the Social Climber with the Strawberry, who is generally found adding extra fruit to their Pimm’s – as a nod, no doubt, to the great Wimbledon tradition of strawberries and cream. They hold the fruit up to the light, not for taste but for status.
These characteristics may be played for laughs but indicate that Pimm’s has always been about updating its heritage, not discarding it. And today, in the modern age, Pimm’s is going from strength to strength.
Pimms is booming in 2025. Pubs, restaurants, rooftops, and corporate bar counters are all embracing the brand. Supermarkets are seeing a spike in sales; UK off-sales rose 23 per cent between 2021 and 2023 – and searches for “Pimms recipe” are rising by more than 40 per cent a year. Food historians say that Pimms represents a longing for something “nostalgic” and that, in a period of political and social uncertainty, people are turning to English Pimm’s for comfort. Whether in the grounds of a great house, a village fete or a bank car park, the addition of fruit to a spirit has always been a means for the British to express status and personality. What goes in the Pimm’s cup is a social indicator.
Cucumber is still the safest option for the country estate; mint is traditional, but the Social Climber has moved on to strawberries. Orange is a bit more upmarket and very new money, so your Pimms Royale is the signature tipple for those wanting to impress at their local wine bar this summer.
How you mix it is also important, as any expert bartender will tell you. One part Pimms to three parts cloudy English lemonade, with plenty of ice. Slap the mint,no muddling, and arrange the fruit in a pleasing jumble. Build it all in a jug – no shaking or stirring, unless you want to alienate a traditionalist. This is how Pimm’s has always been drunk. This is how Lord Carnarvon mixed it in his famous 1890s Henley Regatta team. The jug is practically a character in its own right, with a history that runs parallel to that of cricket and horseracing. Today, it is the unofficial uniform for the whole of British summer sport, from Henley to Ascot. Pimms is, in effect, the national drink of England – and the jug is the national trophy.
However, you might want to update your Pimms this year, in keeping with the times. The addition of elderflower has seen the creation of the Pimms Royale, which uses English sparkling wine instead of lemonade. It is a move that marks out Pimms as the drink of choice of many a modern National Trust property, including Wiston, Capability, Brown’s landscape garden, and Nyetimber.
This year, the jug is England’s most democratic aristocrat, the only accessory needed for hosting, gardening, or sport. Pimms is about tradition and style, and in the best British manner, it is both nostalgic and innovative. So, raise a glass to Pimms this summer, whether you are a connoisseur with a Wimbledon Pass – or just someone with a modest Pimm’s cup in hand.
As time and culture marched on through both world wars Pimms slowly devolved to a highly refined drink that was available to all, but it still retains its victorian theatre and optimism (some even say it’s kept the medical taste). So if you are tacking a “cup“ modest or not, for healthy digestion, oyster consumption or trying to convince yourself you are a cultured person enjoying Pimms weather (a British summer downpour), then have your fluid fruity Pimms your way this summer, reading the latest from Chauvet Couture.
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