Post #252151 by Chip and Andy on Sun, Sep 3, 2006 9:34 AM

On 2006-09-03 08:48, DJ HawaiianShirt wrote:
All I meant is that key limes taste very different from "normal" ones. Drinks that substitute one for the other may be good, but the taste and drink is completely different, and not all drinks are prime for the switch.

Not to mention that sweetness is also different within the two varieties, so proportions must also be different during the mixing.

Which reminds me of another great tip for the home mixologist....

Taste Everything!

Pour yourself a little sip of everything on your bar so you can taste it individually. You will get to know your bar very intimately and have a good idea of what will and wont go with what. You will also have a good idea of how to adjust a recipe to your tastes or to substitute ingredients.

For example... I suffer from frequent heartburn so I usually reduce the citrus ingredients a bit in most drinks if I plan on having more than one (of which I usually do....). But to reduce the lemon or lime in a drink requires the other ingredients to be adjusted as well and you wont be able to make those adjustments unless you have at least a basic understanding of the tastes of the other ingredients. And, some cocktails have far too many ingredients to simply say less of this always equals more of that.

Taste everything you have and you will be able to decide for yourself what works in your cocktails whether it is Fresh Key Limes or Frozen Lemon or Bottled Lychee Nectar.....