Greetings, and happy belated 4th of July to our American friends, and happy Friday to the Canadians among us. This week I’m reporting in from Brighton, England. Mrs. Sharkbait and I decided to go off on a last vacation before we start preparing for baby shark (Stop). We chose this Channel side beach town because we wanted to go somewhere beachy that wasn’t oppressively humid, or had mosquito-borne illnesses. Both huge positives in Mrs. Sharkbait’s book. Plus, neither one of us had been there before so we figured why not go somewhere new?

Today we spent pretty much all day on the beach, of which, is not at all comfortable to walk on, or lay in since it is literally all rocks. Zero sand. Being that this was a beach day, appropriate beverages were required to fully enjoy the experience. The UK has wonderfully lax alcohol laws. Many, many places offered take away beer, wine and cocktails. However the one drink I kept seeing people walk around with was the Pimm’s Cup. Naturally, I sought out the closest place I could find one once our “Fort Beach” was set up. I didn’t have to go very far. Across the path from where the “beach” was, there was a small cafe called Bar de la Mer. For £7, I was given this:

From what I could tell when I was watching the bartender make it, this is the recipe:

50 ml Pimms #1

1/2 Orange slice

1/2 Lime slice

2 Strawberries, halved

Unknown number of cucumbers, sliced

Generous sprigs of mint

Carbonation (either soda water, ginger ale, or ginger beer)

Fill a highball glass half full with ice. Add the Pimms, orange, lime, cucumbers and strawberries. Fill the rest of the glass with the soda/ginger ale/ginger beer. Top with the mint sprigs.

Apologies for the lack of a formal recipe from this beach side cafe, but they make a hell of a cocktail. The 50ml pour is considered a large, or a double since all spirits are measured in 25ml increments. Still though, it was excellent. It was smooth and not overly fruity. The citrus fruits and the sweetness of the strawberries had a nice balance, while the cucumber added a different depth to the overall flavor. The mint was a nice touch that could be tasted more toward the end. I ended up having three of these over the course of the afternoon. Thanks to the aforementioned pouring rules, I stayed hydrated, but didn’t cross the line into public intoxication land. I highly recommend mixing a pitcher (or two) of this fantastic beachside libation.

(Banner image found here)