‘Diluted’ Pimm’s cause Wimbledon woes

The drink long-associated with the thwacks and gasps of the Wimbledon has come under criticism after being served at the tennis championships at just half strength — and for the not-so-ace price of £7.80 per glass.

Not at that price!: The famous Pimm’s promo bus

Tests taken on the venue’s serving of the gin-based drink have shown that it had been diluted to just 2.5% abv – well over half the strength that is recommended by Pimm’s themselves, with the classic ‘one part pimms, three parts lemonade’ recipe making a beverage with around 6% abv.

Wimbledon officials state that they receive the drink pre-mixed at a strength of 5.4% abv, but this would still imply that the drink was still heavily diluted before being sold.

Servings of the drink from all of the Wimbledon vendors were tested but none were able to get above 4% abv, despite the cost of a plastic cup of Pimm’s being £7.80 at Wimbledon — up 20p from last year.

The classic way: A glass of Pimm’s

A spokesman for Wimbledon and its contracted caterers told the Sunday Times – who commissioned the tests – that customers could request a Pimm’s without ice if they did not want to water their drink down.

‘The Pimm’s comes in pre-mixed sealed containers and we serve it over ice as recommended,’ he said. ‘The amount of ice in the glass will affect the dilution but you can always ask for it without ice.’

A spokesman for Pimm’s added that the pre-mixed drink is ‘best served over ice’.

Some Wimbledon spectators criticised the quality of the Pimm’s, comparing to a ‘soft drink’.