What do the Wimbledon tennis tournament, the Chelsea Flower Show, and the Henley Royal Regatta all have in common – besides being English events, of course? Pimm’s Cup!
We have only 2 children, but also have “kids” from all around the world that we would love to claim as our own. In the early 1990’s we were able to host a couple young teens as their dance group from Sveg, Sweden traveled through the USA. We stayed in touch with one of them, and when Jennie was 17 years old, she came to live with us as a foreign exchange student. (Here is a picture of Jennie in her college apartment with our daughter a few years after returning to Sweden)
If you have never hosted a foreign exchange student, you are missing out on one of the richest experiences in life! Call your local coordinator right now, and see if there are any students still needing a home. Then come back to this website and read the rest of the blog. 🥰
We have been host family to two incredible young women from Sweden, and a few years ago I got to meet BOTH Karin and Jennie in Stockholm:
While visiting Jennie, Pimm’s Cup was the drink of choice – quite possibly because she had just returned from vacation in London. Pimm’s is a fruit liqueur, and makes for a refreshing, light beverage that can easily be made in a pitcher to serve many people.
Even though I had never heard of it before, Pimm’s was easy to find in our small-town liquor store:
Use english or persian cucumbers to avoid hard seeds. Thoroughly scrub oranges, then peel leaving as much of the white pith behind as possible. Muddle cucumber and orange peel together in a shaker or pitcher.
Add 1 1/2 ounces of Pimm’s for each drink, shake or stir well, then allow to stand for a while so the flavours can marry. (I like to add a dash of bitters for each serving to amplify the citrusy-freshness.)
Isn’t she gorgeous?!?
Filter out the main chunks and divide the Pimm’s mixture between tankards (or mason jars) with bitters and plenty of ice, then top off with chilled ginger ale. Garnish with cucumber spears and orange peel. Enjoy!
Pimm’s Cup
Description
Fresh, light, easy to make ahead and in bulk, this drink is sublime!
Ingredients
English or Persian cucumbers (seedless)
Oranges
Pimm’s liqueur
Orange bitters
Ginger ale
Instructions
Scrub oranges well. With a vegetable peeler, remove the outer layer of peel, leaving most of the white pith. Scrub cucumber and cut into spears.
In a pitcher, muddle peel of one orange and a few spears of cucumber. Add 1.5 ounces of Pimm’s and a couple dashes of bitters for each serving, then let stand for a few minutes.
Pour over ice, top with ginger ale, and garnish with additional cucumber and orange peel.
