The Fresh Ingredient Rachael Ray's Husband John Adds To Gimlets

Chances are you have at least heard of a gimlet. It is, after all, a classic cocktail that more or less automatically makes it one of the most-well known drinks. According to Liquor, gimlets might have been created to help prevent scurvy in sailors through the 18th century. Later, the recipe made its way into mixology books. Like most classic cocktails, the gimlet only calls for a few ingredients, which means it is pretty easy and straight-forward to make.

The gimlet only calls for three ingredients and one garnish that include shaking gin, simple syrup, and fresh lime juice. You then combine these together with ice and strain it out into a chilled glass. To finish it off, just add a slice of lime to garnish. However, Rachael Ray's husband, John Cusimano, has put his own spin on things to really add some extra flavor and liven things up a little more.

The Rachael Ray Show posted a clip of a segment featuring Cusimano to Instagram on March 12, which showed him mixing his own take on the drink for Ray's sister. His recipe swaps out one ingredient and adds another, but it only requires one easy, extra step. And ultimately, that extra step helps add even more flavor and complexity to the otherwise clear cut cocktail.

First of all, Cusimano swaps the gin for vodka. Then, before he combines it with the simple syrup and freshly squeezed lime juice in the shaker with ice, he adds one fresh herb. He adds several sprigs of thyme to the bottom of the shaker and muddles it to help it infuse into the rest of the ingredients that make up the drink as he shakes it up. It's such an easy twist, but definitely one worth trying.