The Tip That Preserves Large Batches Of Lime Juice For Cocktails
Unless you've got an electric juicer stashed away, making a vat of citrus juice is a tedious job. Bartenders are well aware of that, and they've come up with solutions to draw out the flavor of limes without all the squeezing. One of the best answers is to look to the rind.
Zest and wedges are commonplace garnishes for mixed drinks, but home drinkers are less likely to consider using them as a lime juice substitute. However, the aromatic green exteriors can do just that — when paired with a blender and acidic additives. Embrace the tricks of the mixologist trade to make this easy cocktail additive.
@thirstywhale__ SUPER JUICE Super juice is great, it makes my life easier when entertaining, saves me time, and I think it's more consistent than fresh juice. Yes, I know. How could I say this when I made and make all the citrus jokes. Hey, I can't keep cheat codes to myself. This is a lime juice substitute, use it the same way you would with regular lime juice. Google Super Juice Calculator and the Kevin Koss Cocktail Time website will pop up. Click it and go to the calculator. Makes things even easier for you. Peel a lime or limes, then weigh it. Then add acid, the same weight of the limes. Acid mixture is a 2 to 1 mix, meaning two parts citric, one part Malic. Wiegh the peels, then multiply that number by 0.66 and that's how much citric acid you need. Now for Malic acid you multiply the wieght of the Peels by 0.33. Now for water you multiply the weight of the peels by 16.66. Blend this all together and the. Squeeze the limes you peeled. Strain through a cheese cloth and boom, super duper juice. ³
Preparing the juice is simple. Blend the peels — making sure to avoid adding the bitter white pith — with water and food-grade citric and malic acids, two powders you can find from online retailers and some grocery stores. After straining the results, you're ready to create a multitude of cocktails in bulk or pop it in the fridge for a future gathering. Though not the lime juice you might imagine, the results will still produce a fresh taste that outshines a store-bought squeeze bottle and lasts longer in the fridge.
How to make bulk lime juice at home
The simple formula, credited to Kentucky bartender Nickle Morris, maximizes the ingredients at hand — lime peels — to reduce food waste and extend the shelf life of the product significantly. That said, if technical calculations aren't your thing, start with 8 limes, approximately 45 grams of citric acid, and 8 grams of malic acid to get the hang of the preparation. Compared to the short window of hours or days that fresh-squeezed lime juice stays fresh in the fridge, this product lasts a week or two.
This is in part because the powdered acids prevent the bitterness, discoloration, and off flavors that creep in as the tart juice is exposed to air. The liquid also distills the strong aromatic oils of the rind, making it hard to distinguish it from the squeezed stuff. Skeptics of the approach can also whip up what bartenders refer to as "super juice," by mixing in the juice from the peeled limes. You'll end up with more than a quart of liquid, stretching your limes much further than if you'd simply reamed the green fruit.
Adding the juice will reduce the prolonging effects of the acids, but only slightly. You can also use this tactic on lemons, as well as other citrus like oranges, clementines, and grapefruits. You'll need to experiment with the ratios to get the flavor right, but the acids can provide the same prolonging effects and produce greater volumes of the zesty liquid.
Other tactics to preserve fresh lime juice
If a science experiment isn't up your alley, there are other techniques to extend the life of your lime juice. One easy approach is to freeze the liquid until you're ready to put it to use. Store the cubes in a resealable bag to free up your trays and valuable freezer real estate. Then, you can add the citrus directly to your punch bowl or blender to mix bulk cocktails.
Hosts can even premix drinks before popping them in the freezer, ensuring a quick blitz will produce a tasty frozen margarita. We will warn that chilling the liquid, whether it contains spirits or not, may subdue the acid's flavor. To reinvigorate the ingredient, add a squeeze of fresh lime for brightness before serving the drinks.
Technically, you can heat and pasteurize the juice at home, but some find this changes the taste or is too big a challenge in non-professional kitchens. Thankfully, citrus juice lasts for months in the freezer, which gives you plenty of time to send out party invitations and use up the batch. If home mixologists accidentally prepare too much of a good thing, the cubes double as a secret weapon in lemongrass chicken marinades and citrusy baked goods. Plus, you can the lime juice ice cubes to chill margaritas, too.