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 I would hardly call myself a wine expert, and yet I think I know enough to navigate a decent wine list. More important is getting to the point of knowing the flavors you like so you can ask the right questions and get what you want. It’s about having confidence in your ability to narrow the choices as opposed to buying a bottle based on its price. But it doesn’t come without experience, and the best way that I know to gain valuable knowledge about wine—or any kind of beverage—is to take the time to taste them.
Last week was a busy one for tasting whiskey in the Twin Cities. A few weeks ago, the world saw the release of Maker’s 46, the new bourbon whiskey by Maker’s Mark. As the bottles were arriving at the local shops, I got word of a Maker’s 46 release party being held at Prohibition, that bar up at the top of the Foshay Tower in Minneapolis. For anyone wondering how to find out about these events, I’ll let you in on a little secret: become a Maker’s Mark Ambassador!
Practically every distillery or spirit maker has a membership program. Enrolling is usually free online, and in exchange for your name and email address, you get all kinds of perks. In the case of Maker’s Mark, Ambassadors receive advance notice of things like the release of 46, or an invitation to a tasting party at Prohibition. We also get our name embossed on a metal plaque that makes its way onto your own barrel of whiskey. I’ve actually seen the barrels aging in the rickhouses in Loretto—this is no joke! When your barrel is opened, they email you and you have the opportunity to buy bottles from it.
Similarly, many Scotch makers have memberships and benefits for those who sign up. It can be a little overwhelming if you start signing up for every promotional program you can find, and I have only done a few. With all of the spam email flying around, it pains me a little to add a few more to the marketing madness. However, finding out about programs like the one held at Prohibition last week makes it worth it.
On Thursday, the day after the Maker’s 46 party, the St. Paul Grill held an event featuring rare Scotch whisky. This time, attendance required advanced registration and space was limited. However, if you had received the email a month ago, you would have had plenty of time to sign up. And how do you suppose you get those email messages? By enrolling in The Grill Scotch Club, of course. Club members get a card to keep track of the Scotch they try over time and receive bonuses at certain milestones. It’s free to join the club and you can sign up on their website.
The rare Scotch tasting event was something special. We gathered at the St. Paul Grill seated at tables in the back of the restaurant while Brian Dvoret, brand ambassador for The Speyside shared his knowledge about the bottles we were tasting. The menu included nice hors d’oeuvres and of course, Scotch. We compared six different bottles of what was collectively referred to as Scott’s Selection Cask Strength Rare Single Malt Whiskies. Robert Scott is the Master Distiller responsible for laying down selections of his favorite barrels from distilleries all over Scotland, and these were some of the results. Of course, tasting whisky this good means you will probably bring a bottle or two home with you.
I look at these events as opportunities to learn. Whether it’s rare Scotch at a nice restaurant in St. Paul, or a wine and beer tasting event at your local shop—these are often the best, and least expensive ways to taste a variety of products and to talk to the people who know the most about them. Signing up for clubs like these is a great way to find out about these events. Once you hear of an upcoming tasting, invite a friend or make a date out of it. It can be a lot of fun discussing what you like or dislike with people you know. In addition to finding out your preferences, you further your knowledge about the product in general, and before long, you become a confident expert.
 I’m not sure where I read it, but I have long believed that it’s a good idea to always have a bottle of champagne chilling in the refrigerator. You just never know when a special occasion will present itself, or when someone will share news that is worthy of celebration. Sometimes, however, not everyone wants to drink bubbly, or perhaps you think it’s time to swap that bottle for something new. Whatever the circumstance, it’s never a bad time to open a bottle, and sometimes sharing a round of champagne cocktails is enough of an excuse. This week, I want to share the French 75, a wonderful twist on the Collins that is perfect for warm summer nights.
The French 75 is named for a French-made 75mm artillery canon that saw widespread use in World War I. It’s revolutionary recoil design allowed rapid firing without the need to reposition and aim before each shot. How this relates to the cocktail is anyone’s guess. Perhaps champagne, being French, was enough of a connection to the popular field gun at the time and a catchy name was what the creator was after. What we do know is that the French 75 cocktail did not appear in print until 1930 when it shows up in Harry Craddock’s “The Savoy Cocktail Book.” Although most recipes call for a teaspoon of sugar, This can be difficult to dissolve quickly, especially if you are making more than one of these, so I substitute a quarter ounce of 1:1 simple syrup.
 French 75
1.5 oz gin
.75 oz lemon juice
.25 oz simple syrup
4 oz chilled champagne
Add everything but the champagne to a shaker, add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a Collins glass filled with cracked ice. Top with champagne.
There are plenty of ways to put champagne to good use in a cocktail besides our Drink of the Week. In fact, many recipes that call for soda can be fancied-up by subbing champagne in its stead. That’s really all we are doing here. Take a Tom Collins, cut some of the sweet and substitute champagne for the club soda and you have it. You could also look at it from the opposite direction: it’s a sparkling wine fortified with gin and bit of fresh lemon sour. Either way you describe it, the flavors work nicely together and result in a simple, refreshing and elegant cocktail with a little more going on than a basic Tom Collins.
As you can see, I used a pink champagne in mine and garnished it with a lemon wheel. I like the effect, but you can use whatever you have chilling in the refrigerator. Like most cocktails, the better your ingredients the more you will enjoy your results, but this is also a great way to use up a bottle of sparkling wine that may not be as tasty by itself.
 It’s only been two weeks since Maker’s Mark wax-dipped their first bottle of Maker’s 46 and started sending boxes across the world. Last week, a shipment arrived in Minnesota and I quickly snagged a bottle. So, what’s all the fuss about?
Makers Mark is a delicious bourbon made in Loretto, Kentucky, and like most bourbons, the creators pride themselves on tradition. In this case, it’s four generations of tradition that has resulted in a recipe that has remained unchanged in 52 years! According to Bill Samuels, you don’t mess with perfection. However, after more than five decades, he decided it wouldn’t hurt to try something new.
His family has built an empire around a product that has become the go-to standard for bourbon drinkers all over the world. In fact, even at the Seelbach Hotel, right there in Louisville, if you order a Mint Julep, they reach for Maker’s Mark. Yet, despite its popularity, Maker’s Mark is still very much an artisan product. Limestone filtered water is drawn locally and combined with just the right proportions of grains. Batches are fermented in century-old wooden vats, and each bottle is individually hand-dipped in wax for the trademark seal. But the key to their product’s success is in the barrels—literally. Barrel aging in toasted oak is what gives the whiskey it’s color and some say up to 70% of its flavor.
Rather than break the impressive traditions, Maker’s 46 starts with a proven winner—Maker’s Mark. That’s right. They take their flagship product just as it is before bottling and modify it (dare I say improve upon it) to create Maker’s 46. Their unique process involves modifying oak barrels by adding brackets that hold charred wooden staves of French oak. Maker’s Mark is then added to these special barrels where it is allowed to mature for several months. When it’s just right, they bottle it.
 Maker’s 46 is a winner. I did a simple taste test the moment I got home with the bottle. I guess I was expecting more drama from 46, but it makes sense that this would not be a giant departure from their regular product. It’s still Maker’s Mark, there’s no question about it. However, there’s more to appreciate here. Certainly the smoky oak notes are more prominent, as are the intense spices, caramel and vanilla. It’s not as pungent as say, Eagle Rare 10-year out of Buffalo Trace, but it’s also not as smooth as Pappy Van Winkle’s 20. Still, at around $34, this bottle is versatile for premium cocktails or just as a sipper.
Over the past couple of days, I have had a chance to mix a few cocktails with 46 and I must say that I do enjoy it. It’s fantastic in a Mint Julep, and simply wonderful in a Dogwood Manhattan. As time goes on, I hope to do more with it. With both Maker’s products on hand, it will be hard not to grab the 46 when an opportunity presents itself.
 Building the Sazerac Next week marks the beginning of Tales of the Cocktail, an annual event held in New Orleans to celebrate our truly American invention. But it’s more than that. Tales has become something of a Mecca to cocktail enthusiasts and professionals from all over the world. With so many sponsored events and educational sessions throughout the week, attendees have the opportunity to learn from the experts and discover new products and techniques. In addition to hosting Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans enjoys a deep tradition of mixology and has been host to the creation of many classic cocktail favorites. Perhaps the one most identified with the city is our Drink of the Week, the Sazerac.
A cocktail was at one time a narrow class of beverages following a very specific formula: spirits, sugar, water and bitters. Today, the word is associated with any mixed alcoholic drink, but the Sazerac stays true to the historic definition. At the time of its invention, it was the bitters that set the cocktail apart. Without the bitters, a cocktail would have been called a sling or a toddy.
Enter one Antoine Peychaud, a Creole apothecary from Haiti who settled in New Oreleans, Louisiana in 1795. At his pharmacy, one could order a compounded beverage made from cognac, sugar, water and his own recipe of bitters. The cocktail was later made by others and and became known as the Sazerac, probably after a popular brand of cognac at the time. Modern recipes typically use rye whiskey instead of brandy.
What sets the Sazerac apart from a cocktail like the Old Fashioned is the preparation of the glass with absinthe:
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 You just don’t find many cocktails made with Scotch whisky. Perhaps it’s hard to produce combinations that work well together considering the prominent flavors that are typical of any good Scotch. Nevertheless, a few creations have succeeded, and the Blood and Sand is one of them. I’m not saying the world needs more Scotch cocktails. Those of us who enjoy Scotch will say it’s just fine on its own, but not everyone likes to sip spirits neat. Here’s a chance to try something that is pretty rare in the world of mixology.
As uncommon as Scotch cocktails are, you might expect a working recipe to look better on paper, but when you see what’s in this, you wouldn’t expect the combination to work. I have to say that if I set out to create a Scotch cocktail myself, it might take me a while before I would try mixing these ingredients together. Although it didn’t appear in print until the 1930s, the Blood and Sand was apparently created for the premier of the 1922 film of the same name starring Rudolph Valentino. Now, why don’t movies today come with their own cocktail?
Despite being named for a movie, the Blood and Sand is actually a great description for the way this drink looks. After the pour, a thin layer of froth swirls atop the deep red mixture and it sorta looks like blood soaking into the desert dunes. That imagery may be somewhat grotesque, but the drink tastes fantastic.
 Blood and Sand
.75 oz Scotch whisky
.75 oz sweet vermouth
.75 oz Cherry Heering
.75 oz orange juice
Add ingredients to a shaker, add ice and shake until cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a flamed orange peel.
The choice of Scotch will greatly affect the flavor and balance of this cocktail. Some Scotch lovers would never sacrifice their single malts to a mixed drink and may opt for a blend, but I think you can get wonderful results with anything. In fact, even with blends, flavors vary wildly. I guess I am saying, don’t limit your version of this cocktail to one Scotch or another. Chances are, if you like the whisky already, it’s going to work nicely here.
Others have written that Cherry Heering is the only cherry brandy worth considering. Who am I to argue since it’s the only cherry brandy I own? Is it crazy to use Carpano Antica Formula vermouth? I don’t see why it could hurt. One more excuse to use Carpano is OK by me. You will definitely want to squeeze fresh orange juice for this (you always use fresh citrus anyway, right?). As with any cocktail, balance is important. It’s possible to mask too much of a Scotch’s flavor with the other ingredients, and that’s what happened to me the first time I used Dewar’s 12-year. Increasing the Scotch is a good option since this drink isn’t very strong anyway. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments to the proportions. The point is to enjoy your drink.
Finally, garnish with an orange twist, or if you are feeling ambitious, here’s a great opportunity to get a little fancy. Instead of using a channel knife to cut a piece of orange zest, take a regular chef’s knife and slice off a disc from the outside curve of an orange. You want this round chunk of orange peel to be about the size of a fifty-cent piece. Then, strike a match, grab the peel and hold the match about three inches above the edge of the cocktail. With the orange peel pointing toward the flame and over the glass, snap the peel sharply, squeezing a mist of oil through the flame and onto the surface of the drink! Your guests will love this fiery display, and the flamed oils will cover the drink’s surface providing an important finishing touch. Drop the peel into the glass and serve.
 Call it a soda siphon, a syphon or a seltzer bottle—it’s a pressurized container for dispensing carbonated water. Remember The Three Stooges or the Marx Brothers shaking bottles and spraying each other in the face? Same thing. But why would you want one? Can’t you just buy club soda? You certainly can. In fact, I used to buy cases of San Pellegrino, and if you are making a bunch of drinks, screw-top bottled soda water works just fine. But what if all you need is a couple of ounces to top up a Collins? Maybe you made some fantastic ginger syrup and you want to have some ginger beer? You could open a bottle of club soda, but most of that water is going to go flat. Once it’s open, you need to use it or lose it.
That’s the real benefit having your own siphon in the refrigerator. Each time you use it, you are not actually opening the bottle. You are merely opening a valve to release only the amount you need. Pull it out for your next round or ignore it until next week—it remains cold and pressurized until it’s gone. No more half bottles going flat and ending up down the drain.
Using a siphon also allows you to drink whatever water you choose. If your tap water is good, go ahead and use it. Do you filter your drinking water and want to use that? No problem. Fill your siphon and charge it with gas. You do that by attaching a carbon dioxide capsule specifically made for the purpose. Give it a good shake and the gas will start to dissolve into the water. The carbonation works best on very cold water, so leave the capsule attached while you chill the bottle. After a few hours or on the following day, you can remove the capsule and the water is ready to use. A one-way valve prevents gas from escaping and a hand lever allows you to dispense the water whenever you need it. Capsules are small and recyclable so you aren’t buying more plastic or glass. The resulting seltzer ends up costing a fraction of the price you would pay for individual bottles. It saves money, storage space and the environment. If you drink sparkling water, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to use a siphon.
Can I use the gorgeous siphon I found on eBay?
The antique seltzer bottles are beautiful, but they aren’t exactly useable at home. First of all, most of them require filling at a special facility. The fittings allow for commercial companies to charge the bottles, but don’t fit the carbon dioxide capsules. Second, most of the antique bottles were made in Czechoslovakia and parts are scarce. Old rubber seals get hard and crumble, and valve springs and gaskets can be difficult to replace. Finally, the opportunity for accidents are far greater with old glass bottles than with modern metal ones. You don’t want to drop a heavy glass bottle under that much pressure on the kitchen floor or your granite counter tops unless you feel like dodging the exploding glass fragments.
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With The Fourth of July weekend coming, I suppose I could have found some cockail to evoke US patriotism, or perhaps one that includes the colors of the flag. Instead, I decided to feature a mixology technique. The Riff is actually a name I am using here to represent many cocktails—both classic and contemporary—that began life as a varition of an existing recipe. To riff on a cocktail is to make some addition, substitution or adjustment, taking the drink in a new (and hopefully delicious) direction. The way I see it, the cocktail itself is an American invention, so what better way to honor that heritage than to focus on the true spirit of innovation.
It’s one of the best tricks anyone who has ever created a tasty beverage can use, and although there are many concoctions that are truly original, some of the best are the result of adding or changing one or more ingredients used to make something else. It’s how cocktails evolve over time, and there’s no shame in it at all. Consider the fact that we have a finite selection of ingredients to use in the first place. It’s a wonder that we haven’t exhusted every combination.
For one thing, not every ingredient works well with everything else. Random combinations can fail miserably or be completely unblalanced. Those combinations that do succeed face the inevitable challenge of proportions. Once a drink works, it doesn’t take a genius to consider substiting one ingredient for another. In fact, this happens often enough out of necessity. Run out of gin? Maybe vodka would work?
A Riff can be just that—basic spirit substitution. However, changing the base spirit can also have a profound effect on flavor to where it no longer resembles the original at all. Other times, it’s possible to swap one or more ingredients and come up with a cocktail that matches the original while exploring a different flavor. A good example appears in Imbibe Magazine this month:
 Tequila Sage Smash
2 oz. anejo tequila
.75 oz. honey syrup
half of a lemon, quartered
6 fresh sage leaves
Place the half lemon, quartered, in a mixing glass. Add the honey syrup (a mixture of 1 part honey dissolved in 1 part water). Muddle the lemons, squeezing out all of the juice and expressing the oils from the peel. Add the sage and muddle again to gently bruise the leaves. Add the tequila, ice and shake very hard until chilled. Double strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Garnish with a sprig of sage.
Some of you might recognize a smash drink by the technique with the lemon. If you have made the Gin Basil Smash, you could think of this cocktail as a riff on that. It’s similar in that they both are smash drinks that use fresh herbs. Instead of gin, we have tequila, and in place of the basil we use sage. Even the sweetener has been changed to make use of honey syrup. You could probably try agave nectar with great results too. I love the Gin Basil, but I must say, this riff is fantastic and refreshing.
You may also recall the Trident Cocktail from a few weeks back. This is a popular riff on the Negroni. Created by Robert Hess, the success of his Trident is attributed to careful selection of alternate ingredients. According to Hess, he created this drink so he could make use of peach bitters. By swapping aquavit for gin, Cynar for Campari, and sherry for vermouth, the Trident is a testament to how far you can take a riff and still be successful.
There are plenty of other examples that are more subtle. For instance, the Rob Roy is really just a Manhattan that uses Scotch whisky. Sometimes, as I have often suggested, simply using different bitters in a cocktail is enough to transform the flavor, and many riffs on classic recipes do just that. Cocktails with liqueurs can be changed by subbing another. Replacing simple syrup in a recipe with one or more liqueurs can create wild or exotic results. Try using lemon instead of lime, dry vermouth instead of sweet, agave instead of honey—the possibilities seem endless.
Of course, the possibilities are not endless, but this is how we experiment, and the results can often surprise you. It should now come as no surprise why it’s important to understand the classics. With so many cocktails out there that are already riffs on one old recipe or another, it helps to recognize where they started. Even if you only know one cocktail, I encourage you to create a riff of your own. Try a different base spirit, alter the sweetener, swap the souring agent or play with a different liqueur. You might re-invent a drink that already exists, or you could stumble onto a new favorite.
Is there a cocktail you make differently than most recipes? Have you made your own riff on a classic? Did you ever run out of one ingredient and surprise yourself with a delicious substitution? Let me know in the comments below, and have a safe Fourth of July!
 You may be wondering, Martinez? Don’t you mean Martini? Well, I suppose I mean both. You see, the origin of the Martini is somewhat fuzzy, but almost everyone agrees that the Martini started life as the Martinez, and when you consider the ingredients and how cocktails evolve, it’s easy to believe.
As important and recognizable as the Martini is in the pantheon of cocktails, few people have ever heard of the Martinez. Instead, we recognize the V-shaped glass dripping with sweat, the ice cold gin and vermouth glistening like a clear, perfect gem, the olive or lemon twist garnish—the Martini is iconic. And yet, we are really talking about the Dry Martini, a more accurate name because of the fact that it is made with dry, French vermouth. Of course, that would imply there was a sweet version, right?
It’s true. The first Martini was concocted of gin and sweet, Italian vermouth, making it red! It’s hard to imagine calling such a drink a Martini today with the all of the shyness that seems to surround a vermouth bottle. Even though early versions were mixed 50:50, these days it’s more about mixing an extremely dry Martini containing mere drops of dry vermouth—or sometimes none at all. But what does this have to do with our Drink of the Week, the Martinez?
As it turns out, the Dry Martini owes its existence to the combination of gin and vermouth—a marriage first enjoyed by the Martinez. The addition of maraschino gives it an exotic cherry sweetness, and the bitters helps make the Martinez a classic cocktail in the truest sense.
 Martinez
1.5 oz gin
1.5 oz sweet vermouth
2 barspoons maraschino liqueur
2 dashes orange bitters
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir to chill. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
If you make the Martinez, you are going to taste the vermouth. To those of you who think it’s a bad idea, I suggest that you try Carpano Antica Formula. It’s so good you could sip it by itself, and you will be looking for any recipe you can find that requires sweet vermouth. Keep it refrigerated to preserve the flavor. Old, oxidized vermouth is nasty and probably explains why people shy away from it.
The maraschino liqueur makes this a sweeter drink, but compared to the earliest recipes for the Martinez which had twice as much vermouth as gin, making the propotions equal as we have here is a good compromise that keeps each ingredient from dominating. The Martinez also enjoys a couple dashes of bitters. Orange bitters works nicely, but so does Angostura, helping to season the cocktail and bring all of the ingredients together. It may be hard to detect the bitters as you sip it, but you definitely notice if you leave them out. Don’t skip the bitters!
 If you have visited your grocery store recently you may have noticed that fresh cherries are in season again. Seeing those dark, ripe cherries ready to burst inside the little plastic bins always makes me think about the same thing: homemade cocktail cherries. You may wonder, what’s the point? Can’t you just buy a jar of bright red maraschino (mar-a-SHEEN-oh) cherries that last forever? Sure you can, but allow me to explain what you are really getting inside that jar and you might reconsider that purchase. Besides, it’s not hard to make your own maraschino (mar-a-SKEEN-oh) cherries for special cocktails. As you noticed, there’s a pronunciation difference here, but that’s just the beginning.
Understanding the point of making your own cocktail cherries requires a brief walk through the history of this garnish. Originally, cocktails were decorated with marasca cherries, a variety grown in northern Italy known for their decadent flavor and quality. This is the same source used to create Luxardo Maraschino (again, mar-a-SKEEN-oh) liqueur which is made from the cherry pits. Anyway, in order to preserve the famed marasca cherries, they were soaked in the liqueur and as you can guess, became saturated with its delicious flavor.
When Prohibition hit, the alcohol-soaked cherries were off-limits. However, American “innovation” filled the gap. In addition to earning a mispronounced name, the cherries themselves were transformed into the now familiar sundae toppers. Without alcohol to prererve them, a new brining process was devised. There is nothing natural about today’s cocktail cherries. Aside from the fleshy “vessel” that was once a Queen Anne or Rainier, the brining purges them of all flavor and color. They are then infused with artificial dyes, artificial flavors and canned in a syrup of preservatives.
Once you realize all that is wrong with today’s cocktail cherries, it will help to inspire the home mixologist in you. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how to add Luxardo to a mason jar full of fresh cherries. I always pit my cherries before I stuff them into a small canning jar. Once neatly packed, I cover them with the liqueur. Pitting removes the obvious dental challenge, but also allows the nutty flavor of the maraschino (pronounce the “k” sound) liqueur to enter the fruit and saturate the flesh. Let them soak in the refrigerator for a week or two.
There are other spirits worth trying too. Brandied cherries are nice, as are those soaked in amaretto. I’ve even done cherries in Creme de Cacao for a nice chocolate twist. In addition to using fresh cherries, you can also get away with frozen. Some have even had success reconstituting dried cherries with brandy or bourbon. With so many possibilities, it’s a wonder anyone would want to buy the neon red variety (or green, if you can believe that).
I wouldn’t want to write a post about cherries without mentioning one of my favorites: Amarena. These smaller cherries are preserved in amarena syrup, an unusual but delicious flavoring that is simply divine over vanilla ice cream. Granted, they are not preserved in liqueur and they don’t really have historical cocktail significance, but they are wonderful as a cocktail garnish just the same, and they are Italian which has to count for something. Amarena cherries are expensive and sometimes hard to find, but once you do, you will continue to keep them around.
Try making your own cocktail cherries. You’ll be glad you did. They won’t last forever like the artificial variety, but you’ll feel better about using fresh ingredients to enhance your drinking experience. Besides, you really need to get a bottle of Luxardo and this is another good reason to do so.
 With everything going on lately related to the World Cup, there’s a completely different Cup that gets pretty popular this time of the year. Take your mind away from soccer (or football, if you prefer) for a moment and consider the fact that Wimbledon is just around the corner. Like Kentucky Derby goers with their Mint Juleps, everyone at Wimbledon seems to enjoy one refreshment while they watch men and women chase the fuzzy yellow ball around the grass courts. That drink is the Pimm’s Cup.
Many people on this side of the Atlantic have never even heard of the Pimm’s Cup, let alone Pimm’s No. 1, the key ingredient. Maybe you’ve seen the reddish tea-colored bottle on a bar shelf, or perhaps you even own some but you’ve never known what to do with it. What exactly is Pimm’s No. 1 anyway, and what happened to No. 2 and 3 for that matter?
 James Pimm Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based liqueur flavored with spices and herbs. Created in 1823 by James Pimm to be served at his oyster bar in London, the Pimm’s Cup became so popular that he eventually started bottling the main ingredient following a secret recipe. Weighing in at only 50 proof, Pimm’s No. 1 is not a strong spirit, making the Pimm’s Cup the ideal hot summer refresher—and allowing thirsty fans to indulge in more than one. A “cup” is actually a style of drink usually mixed up in a bowl with fruit, similar to sangria only using hard spirits instead of wine. There is a Pimm’s No. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 based on other spirits such as Scotch, brandy, rum and so on, but these less popular versions are seasonal or have been phased out. When people talk about Pimm’s, they mean Pimm’s No. 1.
The basic recipe is a combination of Pimm’s and lemonade, but the problem with that description is that in England, lemonade is what Americans would call
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