Post #750379 by AceExplorer on Sat, Sep 5, 2015 7:14 PM

Good to hear about the Kafir lime tree - I learned about the aromatic leaves and how they are used in food preparation when I was doing my initial research before I decided which type of lime tree to buy.

With regard to the insects, I just recently bought a blue bottle of a Bayer product which you mix and pour into the soil. The tree absorbs it into the leaves, and it repels the pests which are problematic in my climate -- leaf curl spiders. Not sure how it impacts the fruit, I'll read the label before I apply it. It's fruit season, so I'm not messing with that right now. But definitely before winter and again in the spring.

With regard to alcohol as a preservative - I use a MAXIMUM of 2oz Everclear (Pure Grain Alcohol, or "PGA") for every 16 ounces. I use half that amount in very sweet syrups. I agree on your approach towards highly sweetened flavorless syrups, and that's the reason I started making my own a long time ago. They go a long way, have a stronger and better flavor, and are also way cheaper than store-bought.

I also completely understand being too busy to engage in "elaborate cooking." If you get deeper into cocktails, you may eventually succumb to making your own syrups. That's just the way it goes when you get a real hankering for quality in your home bar.

Fee's or Trader Vic's enjoy a good reputation, I think you're fine with those. Some like the Taylor Velvet Falernum, but I think that would be mostly in cases where they haven't tried home-made.

Keep us posted on how you do, and thanks for the feedback. There are many others who will read these posts and learn from us.