Lime Juice
Freshly squeezed juice from limes, providing sharp acidity essential to Margaritas, Daiquiris, and Mojitos.
Origin
Wherever limes are grown; pressing fresh lime juice for drinks and food dates back as long as limes have been cultivated and traded.
History
Fresh lime juice is as fundamental to tropical and rum-based cocktail history as lemon juice is to the broader sour category, anchoring classics from the Daiquiri to the Margarita to the Mojito. As with lemon, bartenders overwhelmingly prefer fresh-squeezed lime juice over bottled, since its brightness fades quickly once extracted and bottled versions taste noticeably flatter and more one-dimensional.
Flavor profile
Sharp, tart, and slightly bitter, brighter and more tropical-leaning than lemon juice.
Tasting notes
Fresh lime juice brings a vivid, slightly bitter tartness that fades and flattens quickly once bottled, which is why classic recipes calling for lime almost universally assume fresh juice squeezed close to serving time.
Substitutes
- Lemon juice, for a related but distinctly different tartness.
- Bottled lime juice, only as a last resort, given the noticeable flavor difference from fresh.
- Key lime juice, for a more aromatic, slightly different variation.
