Reject Tradition With a Citrusy Tequila Gimlet

"A real gimlet is half gin and half Rose's lime juice and nothing else."

Philip Marlowe, the protagonist of The Long Goodbye, utters these words in the 1953 novel, thereby challenging James Bond to the title of most opinionated character in a novel, at least when it comes to matters relating to cocktails.

But the ghost of Raymond Chandler had better be ready for a big letdown. That's because we're here to tell you about an eye-opening alternative to the unparalleled bastion of traditional cocktailery that is the gimlet.

Veteran New York City bartender Carlos Salazar playfully eschews tradition by removing the gin synonymous with a gimlet and replacing it with añejo tequila.

Why not change things up? The roots of the gimlet are murky at best, anyway. Some say the drink's name can be traced back to a hand tool called a gimlet, which is used to make small holes in woodworking. Others say the name derives from that of Surgeon General Sir Thomas Gimelette of the Royal Navy. He was said to add lime to the gin his men drank, in an effort to curb the scurvy outbreak that plagued them at the turn of the 20th century.

In either event, we feel that woodworkers and sailors alike would appreciate a little tequila change-up in their gimlets. We know we would.