Diageo to extend Pimm's with a Winter warmer
One of Britain's best loved summer drinks is looking to gain popularity all year round.
A new variety of Pimm's called Pimm's Winter is being tested in an exclusive six-month on-trade trial in 20 Young's pubs across London. Brand owner Diageo is looking to launch the new product nationwide next autumn if this winter test is successful.
This could provide licensees with a great business opportunity given Pimms's current narrow appeal across the year. Diageo's own research has revealed that 75 per cent of annual Pimm's sales take place in a 14-week period during the summer.
Stephen White, innovation marketing manager at Diageo, said: "Research we have done has identified that there is an opportunity to extend Pimm's beyond the summer months by developing a drink more suitable for colder, winter days."
A spokeswoman for Young's said the product has proved to be successful in a number of its outlets. "We sold £100,000 worth of it wholesale to our pubs in the summer," she said.
Recommended serve is for the drink to be mixed with premium ginger ale and pieces of fresh orange, lemon and red apple as well as seasonal berries.
Pimm's Winter, which has not been available since 1969, is a mixture of Pimm's No.3 Cup, which is brandy based, with added orange zest and spices.
Pimm's has had six different versions available since it was first produced in the 1840s, with each one using different spirits bases, such as whisky and rum. Pimms No.1, which is most commonly available, is gin-based.
A bit of Pimm's history
The Pimm's we know and drink today is a gin-based spirit flavoured with herbs and fruit liqueurs. It was created by James Pimm in his London Oyster bar in the 1840s and he started bottling it in 1859.
However, the spirit that is now synonymous with summer branched out after World War II and five other varieties, or "Cups", were released over the next 20 to 30 years. The exception to this is No. 6, which is still in production thanks to the impassioned pleas from the wife of a company director who was a bit of a fan. However, it is not widely available.
