Damn It Jimmy

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (87 ratings)

Photographed in an Urban Bar Verdot Small Martini Glass 12.5cl

Ingredients:
1 12 oz Akashi-Tai Daiginjo Genshu sake chilled
1 12 oz Light white rum (charcoal-filtered 1-4 years old)
14 oz Lustau Jarana Fino Sherry chilled
14 oz Strucchi Dry Vermouth chilled
16 oz Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup)
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Martini glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of skewered blue cheese stuffed Fragata Green Olive.
  3. STIR all ingredients with ice.
  4. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
  5. Garnish with a skewered blue cheese stuffed olive.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 8/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 6/10

Review:

When made with Bacardi Carta Blanca (as it originally was), this delicate and so very slightly sweet cocktail has complex notes of blue cheese with faintly salty sherry and herbal dry vermouth complexity. It's perhaps the best cocktail I've created.

View readers' comments

History:

Created in August 2008 by yours truly. While pondering what to call it, the track I was listening to ended and one of the artists exclaimed, "Damn it, Jimmy", to his fellow band members, expressing how good the track was. My cocktail was named! Stupidly, I didn't record the name of that artist or, indeed, the album.

Until December 2024, the paragraph above finished, "Do you know it? That was when fellow Discerning Drinker Toby James commented, "Found it..." with a link to Another Day (Revised) on The Album Leaf. The studio chatter:
"Damnit Jimmy, that was some
Something you did really smart
Yeah
So funny. Try one more time, just one, after this, just one
"
Many thanks, James. Now I have an explanation for the name.

Nutrition:

One serving of Damn It Jimmy contains 175 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.6 standard drinks
  • 20.14% alc./vol. (20.14° proof)
  • 22.1 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

Join the discussion

Showing 10 of 20 comments for Damn It Jimmy.
See discussion in the Forum

Please log in to make a comment
Toby James’ Avatar Toby James
15th December 2024 at 22:49
Perhaps including the Spotify link got me flagged as spam, so I'll say it again since I'm quite pleased with myself: "Another Day (Revised)" by the atrociously monikered The Album Leaf.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
16th December 2024 at 08:16
Many thanks, James. Sixteen years later, I have closure! Coincidently, Plaoma asked me to make her a Damm It Jimmy last night, not long before you gave me the track I've been hunting for.
Toby James’ Avatar Toby James
15th December 2024 at 22:42
Found it...
.
The Album Leaf—Another Day (Revised).
.
https://open.spotify.com/track/0VkskxmBFPFSevPNOg9HgX
Louise Allen’s Avatar Louise Allen
3rd October 2024 at 17:36
I'd say it was more of an 8 on the boozy scale. My partner and I debated whether it was touch on the sweeter side but decided the balance was just about right thanks to the fino and vermouth. Definitely a very pleasant pre-dinner sipper with a crisp clean finish. I'd like to try different sakes to see how that influences the outcome
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
3rd October 2024 at 18:12
Agreed. I've moved to an 8 on the boozy scale. Your joice of sake will influence the taste. A fun to experiment.
Simon Sedgley’s Avatar Simon Sedgley
17th August 2024 at 04:32
This is a wonderful cocktail...beautifully poised and subtle. We had only Havana Club Anejo 3 Anos but will get hold of some Bacardi to give it a whirl with that. Anyway, bravo!
Simon Sedgley’s Avatar Simon Sedgley
19th August 2024 at 05:40
It's even better with the Bacardi Carta Blanca. A tantalizingly elusive balance between sweet and dry.
Steven’s Avatar Steven
30th July 2024 at 23:49
I literally just signed up to promote this cocktail.

It may not be for everyone (apparently some strange people don’t like sherry, dry vermouth, or sake) but to my taste it may be the most perfect cocktail. THANK YOU for this epic invention.

I don’t often have fino sherry so I usually resort to Dry Sack. But strangely I now prefer the nuttiness to the fino. Plus this makes for a great excuse to try more aged rum. But I keep coming back to the Bacardi Superior.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
31st July 2024 at 06:44
Many thanks, Steven. This is a cocktail which Paloma and I keep coming back to. It also batches well (with 27% dilution) to be placed in a freezer for four hours before guests arrive.
Charlie Cavaye’s Avatar Charlie Cavaye
6th July 2024 at 18:53
Exquisite! Really nice cocktail. (I made it with a Scottish rum - J.Gow - so does that make it a "See You Jimmy"? 🤓)
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
6th July 2024 at 19:25
Brilliant!
Andreas Beil’s Avatar Andreas Beil
16th April 2024 at 19:04
Simon, I just saw you’re in Sakura mood and this reminded me of a variety of this cocktail ( which is indeed one of my favorites):
Replace the syrup with Maraschino (or up it a bit) and you have a damned good Sakura, Jimmy. Add Cherry for garnish and consider to stir in a bit of the syrup from the cherry jar for a cherry blossom pinkish hue.
Alan Brown’s Avatar Alan Brown
1st October 2023 at 12:55
Simon, this is fabulous - it may very well be your best cocktail, as you say. Thank you.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
1st October 2023 at 14:26
Thanks, Alan. It's one Paloma and I keep going back to.
Michael Z’s Avatar Michael Z
2nd August 2023 at 01:02
Are you sure about the sweet/dry level 4? I would say its on the drier side. 6.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
2nd August 2023 at 16:51
Agreed, Michael. I've moved to be a 6.
2nd December 2022 at 05:50
Do you remember what the genre of the song was? It sounds super familiar
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
2nd December 2022 at 07:09
I can pigeonhole a cocktail but not so good on music - alternative/indie/lounge perhaps.