Thoughts on lime juice?

I have a juicer and try to keep fresh lime juice on hand, but it's quite a chore and I go through a lot of limes! Also, not necessarily convenient when travelling and making cocktails away from your own equipment. I guess I should break down and do a taste test with the bottled "from concentrate" lime juice, but would like to hear others' thoughts on this cocktail staple!

Try Nellie & Joe's key lime juice. It's worked for me when in a pinch.
http://keylimejuice.com/

Personally, I would only use bottled lime juice as a very last resort. Hand juicers like the one below are small and pretty easy to travel with and use on the fly:

For home use I picked up the below Black & Decker electric citrus juicer on clearence at Big Lots for $16, it's the best investment I ever made cocktail-wise; makes juicing a cinch.

[ Edited by: CincyTikiCraig 2012-05-11 22:36 ]

1- Refrigerated, fresh squeezed lime juice doesn't lose quality for about 6-8 hours. It will keep at high quality, frozen, for 2-3 days.

2- If you use a handheld juicer, do NOT get an enameled one. The acid in lime juice will eat away at the enamel. AMHIK.

3- Bottled Key Lime juice is the best of the bottled juices...and even then, it should be the very, very, very last resort. In fact, I'd avoid making drinks calling for lime juice if I couldn't get fresh juice.

HTH!

Thanks for the input! I have a champ of an electric juicer for home, but will definitely have to pick up a handheld for travelling!

Might try the key lime sometime, but for now I'll stick to fresh :wink:

Heelgrinder I use the yellow hand-held for Persian limes and the green hand-held for key or Mexican limes. Yellow is for lemons of course but the larger Persians are a breeze to squeeze as opposed to fussing with the green h-h. I use a larger stand-up press made by the ice-amatic folks when I'm making more than a few mai tais. I'll use bottled when they figure out how to grow em on trees.My 2 cents!Cheers,David
P S Mine are enameled So I rinse my squeezers asap after using cuz I have the same valid concern jokeiii has.

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2012-05-14 01:54 ]

In my case -- and I freely admit this may have more to do with the quality level of mine than any sort of inherent flaw in the design -- rinsing the enameled handheld lime juicer, religiously, nanoseconds after using didn't prevent the enamel from eventually flaking and chipping off. The plain polished stainless ones (available at Williams-Sonoma) are my choice now.

Fresh is always best when it comes to citrus.

Fresh is not always an option.

There is a middle ground....

Any quality bottled juice can be spruced up by adding a bit of fresh to it. If you need a gallon lime juice, but only have access to a dozen limes? Get a quality bottled product and then add the fresh juice to get at least some of the sparkle and life that comes from fresh squeezed.

It isn't as good as fresh, but it is better than bottled/canned/frozen.

I've found that the Stirrings people have a pretty good product when it comes to a bottled lime juice. And despite what one might think, the mojito tastes more like lime juice than the margarita. There are also various organic products at the local grocer that are also pretty good and less expensive, but still a pale imitation of the real thing.

And like suggested above, I kind of do the opposite and sometimes use the bottled stuff to extend the fresh stuff. Some times its necessary when you have a larger (or thirstier) crowd than expected.

Asking this group a simple question like that can open up a large conversation!

Limes keep pretty easily and the simple scissor type hand juicer is fine when mixing for 2 to 4 people. Fresh lime juice is the difference between good and bad cocktails a lot of the time. And you should not worry about speed as these drinks are strong and taking some time will keep the pace better.

The only bottle I use is Nellie's which you will likely find at the grocery store in the baking aisle. It is stronger than persian lime juice, so mix it at about 3/4 normal amounts.

And keep The Grogalizer and Tiki+ handy!

I was on a business trip to LA this week and FINALLY got to visit Tiki Ti, which was completely awesome. Five cocktails later (an an Uber ride back to the hotel) I am a convert.

However.... somewhere between the Rays Mistake and the Missionary's Downfall, I happened to notice them refreshing their lime juice... from a large can (gulp).

So what's the protocol on this? As an avid listener of 5 Minutes of Rum, and reader of Beachbum Berry's books, it's been drilled into me that I should ALWAYS squeeze fresh lime juice, and yet, here in one of the top tiki bars in the world - they're getting it out of a can?

Thoughts?

Interesting you saw that. Keep in mind that just because they're the oldest tiki bar in LA (sorry Tonga Hut) doesn't necessarily mean they're willing to go through all the efforts. Certainly we all know that the cocktail scene has gone through some crazy changes over the decades where fresh juices were out and cheap mixes were in. I think the Ti still goes by a lot of the conveniences - they use Finest Call sweet and sour as well as other "syrups." Now most of us would turn our nose up at the thought of Finest Call (I certainly do) but that doesn't take away from the originality in many of their concoctions. I can't imagine the three Buhen boys sitting at home manually juicing lime after lime after lime every morning. Trader Sam's, for example, uses bottled Odwalla lime juice.

i think its been posted by those in the know that the Tiki Ti uses frozen lime concentrate, the kind that comes in a can...

For what it's worth: The Mai-Kai is a high-volume restaurant, so they're lucky enough to have a long-standing relationship with a food distributor who provides fresh-squeezed juices daily, including lime, lemon, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, etc. The consistency of these juices is one of the key factors that keeps their drinks among the best in the world, IMHO.

You don't get that quality in canned or bottled products, of course. And you don't always get the consistency if you're juicing fruit in-house.

I picked up a bottle of Santa Cruz 100% Organic lime juice at the grocery store the other day. I always squeeze fresh juice for cocktails but thought I would by this as an emergency stopgap in the event of a lime shortage at the home bar. It states that it is 100% juice and not from concentrate. I have not tried it yet but plan on giving it a shake soon.

Even with real limes the quality and pedigree of the fruit is going to vary a lot.

True Lime.

Even comes powdered, in convenient tablespoon servings, for those on the go. Liquid isn't bad, obviously not fresh, but it beats most I've had.

quite good for iced teas...

On 2015-09-17 18:22, Makau wrote:
True Lime.

Even comes powdered, in convenient tablespoon servings, for those on the go. Liquid isn't bad, obviously not fresh, but it beats most I've had.

quite good for iced teas...

Ummmm, No.

On 2015-09-17 13:59, uncle trav wrote:
I picked up a bottle of Santa Cruz 100% Organic lime juice at the grocery store the other day. I always squeeze fresh juice for cocktails but thought I would by this as an emergency stopgap in the event of a lime shortage at the home bar. It states that it is 100% juice and not from concentrate. I have not tried it yet but plan on giving it a shake soon.

Curious to hear what you think. I've heard good things about Santa Cruz Organics.

On 2015-09-17 13:59, uncle trav wrote:
I picked up a bottle of Santa Cruz 100% Organic lime juice at the grocery store the other day. I always squeeze fresh juice for cocktails but thought I would by this as an emergency stopgap in the event of a lime shortage at the home bar. It states that it is 100% juice and not from concentrate. I have not tried it yet but plan on giving it a shake soon.

Remember to check if your store-bought products have been pasteurized. Organic or not, pasteurization can have a dramatic effect on the taste and consistency of the juice. But still - do side-by-side comparisons and let us know. Not only is it fun to do, but many here want to know what you find out.

Cheers!

I gave the Santa Cruz bottled lime juice a try. As I said before I always squeeze my lime juice fresh so in my view that should be your first choice. The Santa Cruz as expected did not have the bright taste of fresh limes but much much better than other substitutes I have tried in the past. I mix my first cocktail exactly as the recipe called for. In my view the Santa Cruz was overpowering. This stuff is very potent and can be super tart. The next cocktail was the same recipe but I cut the called for lime juice amount in half. Still not fantastic but doable in a pinch. I think for traveling where fresh lime are a hassle or as an emergency substitute it would work. I'll stick to my fresh limes but thought I would give it a try.

On 2015-09-24 06:47, uncle trav wrote:
I gave the Santa Cruz bottled lime juice a try. As I said before I always squeeze my lime juice fresh so in my view that should be your first choice. The Santa Cruz as expected did not have the bright taste of fresh limes but much much better than other substitutes I have tried in the past. I mix my first cocktail exactly as the recipe called for. In my view the Santa Cruz was overpowering. This stuff is very potent and can be super tart. The next cocktail was the same recipe but I cut the called for lime juice amount in half. Still not fantastic but doable in a pinch. I think for traveling where fresh lime are a hassle or as an emergency substitute it would work. I'll stick to my fresh limes but thought I would give it a try.

I would agree - it's decent, but very strong. Cutting back the quantity is what I've been doing too. I think I'll keep a bottle of this and the lemon juice as well in my cabinet, for "emergencies."

On 2015-09-17 13:59, uncle trav wrote:
I picked up a bottle of Santa Cruz 100% Organic lime juice at the grocery store the other day. I always squeeze fresh juice for cocktails but thought I would by this as an emergency stopgap in the event of a lime shortage at the home bar. It states that it is 100% juice and not from concentrate. I have not tried it yet but plan on giving it a shake soon.

Uncle Trav, what'd you think of this? I bought a couple of bottles from a local Sprouts store back in August or September when I was experimenting with making some "high volume" drinks where juicing would have been impractical. I had high hopes based on the 100% juice not from concentrate...but alas, this stuff tasted terrible! In cocktails, anyway. I tried it in a classic daiquiri and demerara cocktail and it tasted like bitter chemicals. had to pour out both. It was unusable.

On 2015-01-23 17:40, thePorpoise wrote:
i think its been posted by those in the know that the Tiki Ti uses frozen lime concentrate, the kind that comes in a can...

Last time I was there I saw them putting it into speed bottles directly from big white tubs. I think it MIGHT just be frozen, not concentrated. They also have a few drinks there that use fresh lime in conjunction with the bottled stuff. The Hong Kong, a personal favorite, has about 1 quarter of a lime squeezed and then dropped into it along with however much of the bottled stuff goes in. I figure that means that the stuff in the bottle is at the very least different from fresh, and that each is doing something different for their drinks.

I saw a recipe for Brazilian limeade that called for blending the whole lime (including peel) then straining it. Gives you all the essential oils too. How would that work out in a cocktail?

On 2016-05-11 07:15, MadDogMike wrote:
I saw a recipe for Brazilian limeade that called for blending the whole lime (including peel) then straining it. Gives you all the essential oils too. How would that work out in a cocktail?

Sounds interesting. It would definitely taste different - you'd get the bitter pith in there too. Need to filter it well before using for sure.

On 2016-05-11 07:15, MadDogMike wrote:
I saw a recipe for Brazilian limeade that called for blending the whole lime (including peel) then straining it. Gives you all the essential oils too. How would that work out in a cocktail?

Can you tell us where you saw that? I'm not believing that anyone would recommend using whole lime in a blender - a lime would not be easy to "blend" at all. Run one through your garbage disposer sometime and you'll see how tough that is. (I clean my disposer periodically with spent lime and lemon shells.) Also, the bitter pith would not be very tasty, and may make you want to rinse your mouth out with beach sand... The Brazilians I know have much better taste than doing something like that, so I'm in disbelief, and would be very surprised if its really true. (I have been wrong before......)

The oils are in the outer green zest, and a zester gives you the oils and the flavor without the bitter pith. This is one of the steps in making falernum.

Checking my calendar... Nope, it's not April Fool's Day! :)

I use the Santa Cruz a lot, for some reason my neighborhood grocery stores don't ever have a good stock of limes. To be fair, I don't know the delivery schedule of produce at those stores so they may just be getting wiped out before I ever get there.

The Santa Cruz is much thicker in consistency over freshly squeezed. I find adding a small amount of simple syrup balances the acidity a little and smooths it out a little bit. Need to experiment more though.

[I deleted the content of this post - I was looking at the wrong Santa Cruz lime product, their limeaide instead of their 100% organic lime juice. Sorry about that...]

[ Edited by: AceExplorer 2016-05-11 07:47 ]

I found it on their web site by clicking on "100% Juices" on their site and then found what you're referring to. (I'll edit and delete my previous post which was for their Limeade product.)

So it's pasteurized, with no other things added, and truly 100% organic lime juice. It is still gonna be a bit different from fresh-squeezed lime juice. But if you can't find limes, then this is probably a good alternative since its organic and so pure.

Avoid Rose's Lime Juice and Rose's Lime Cordial unless a recipe specifically calls for it.

[ Edited by: AceExplorer 2016-05-11 07:45 ]

:lol: Nope, not April Fools :lol:

Here is the link to Bobby Flay's version. But a quick Google search shows many similar recipes. Thin skinned lines don't have very much pith, maybe that hint of bitterness is a desired trait in Brazilian Limeade? I was more concerned with mixing lime juice and milk! :o

That's very interesting! I was thinking of Persian limes which have quite a thick rind. I think you're right, other varieties may not be a problem at all.

See, I learn stuff here on TC all the time! :)

:lol:

Suppose I need a LOT of lime juice - like, to serve 100 people tiki drinks for a night of heavy drinking? There's no way I'm going to juice those myself, so now what? Frozen juice? Where does one even get it? Maybe from concentrate?

On 2016-11-06 17:55, Jeff Bannow wrote:
Suppose I need a LOT of lime juice - like, to serve 100 people tiki drinks for a night of heavy drinking? There's no way I'm going to juice those myself, so now what? Frozen juice? Where does one even get it? Maybe from concentrate?

Jeff, I get your concern, I know it may take a couple hours to squeeze limes for 100 people. Otherwise you could check restaurant supply stores and health food stores for bottled fresh lime juice. Let's see if anyone else here on TC has suggestions.

If you end up not being able to buy squeezed juice, see if you can buy or borrow a juicer. I would juice the day before and refrigerate the juice, again, IF you have the time to do it. Good luck, and let us know what you end up doing.

Not sure if this would work or not but you could ask guests to each bring some squeezed lime juice, or you could ask your closest friends to bring some. Otherwise you could pick a cocktail that doesn't have lime juice in it. When I have a big party which usually has 40 and over people I usually end up making Pain Killers, the guests love them and its super easy to make.

Hiltiki's idea is a good one, how many friends would it take to make enough fresh lime juice for your 100 guests? And the Painkillers are true hits with most people, great suggestion.

I did a quick lookup on Webstaurant.com and they sell these two items below. Sure, they're "from concentrate," and the quality (flavor!) won't be as good as fresh squeezed. But you can probably find something like this at a local restaurant supply store.

If you're going to be pouring premium liquors, it would be sad not to also have premium-tasting fresh lime juice. So, you could hire a photogenic "hula girl" dressed in a grass skirt and with a uke to do the squeezing for you at your party. For 100 people, which is a pretty serious shindig, this would be a novel and memorable solution. Then you can cross-utilize her for photo ops when you have all the juice you need. There you have it - sadness is gone!! :wink:

Interesting idea!

I found a place locally that carries Natalie's juices, and they sell fresh, lightly pasteurized by the gallon. Only issue is I have to buy a case, which is a LOT of juice. Waiting to hear back on the pricing.

I've also considered buying a Hamilton Commercial press and going to town on a few million cases of juice, but that sounds painful. Right now I'm getting 1/2 oz. per lime approximately, and I need 300+ oz. of juice, so that's .... ummm .... too many to count. :) About 120 pounds of limes according to the internet. Wow.

On 2016-11-07 10:27, Jeff Bannow wrote:

I've also considered buying a Hamilton Commercial press and going to town on a few million cases of juice, but that sounds painful. Right now I'm getting 1/2 oz. per lime approximately, and I need 300+ oz. of juice, so that's .... ummm .... too many to count. :) About 120 pounds of limes according to the internet. Wow.

Keep in mind that at least one of the products mentioned above has added citric acid which give the juice more acidity than freshly squeezed lime juice. So not only will you drinks come out more tart (tarter?) but in my opinion you can't get away from the fake flavor no matter the recipe.

I'm curious where you purchased your limes? 1/2 oz. per lime is not a good quality lime. I find that the limes carried at a Mexican grocery are fresher as their turnover is higher. They are also willing to sell by the case (anywhere from 175-200 limes) and will often give a discount. If you do purchase a juicer, you may find your yield is greater than with a hand juicer.

Another option is that some Mexican grocery stores will do the juicing for you.

Good info, guys!

One of the other ideas I had is that of a "Tiki Central Coolness Rentals, Inc." where we would share machines amongst each other. For the cost of shipping, plus a $25 maintenance/overhead fee, you'd rent a squash-o-matic juicer or something like that.

I think the earlier suggestion of choosing cocktails which use little or no lime juice might be less hassle for your big event. Then the challenge is more focused on which recipes you'll select for mass production. Choose your goals so you don't get overwhelmed and get to enjoy some of the event yourself.

Have fun and make sure you let us know what you end up doing and how it goes! Take a few pics to share too.

On 2016-11-07 11:32, JeffCleveland wrote:
I'm curious where you purchased your limes? 1/2 oz. per lime is not a good quality lime. I find that the limes carried at a Mexican grocery are fresher as their turnover is higher. They are also willing to sell by the case (anywhere from 175-200 limes) and will often give a discount. If you do purchase a juicer, you may find your yield is greater than with a hand juicer.

Another option is that some Mexican grocery stores will do the juicing for you.

Agreed - the limes I've been getting here in Michigan the last 6 months have been low on juice. It might be closer to 3/4 oz. at most. Mostly been buying them from Costco in the 5 pound bags, but my local grocer's selections aren't any better. I'll have to take a drive down to my local Mexican grocer and see if they have any thing better.

On 2016-11-07 11:53, AceExplorer wrote:
Good info, guys!

One of the other ideas I had is that of a "Tiki Central Coolness Rentals, Inc." where we would share machines amongst each other. For the cost of shipping, plus a $25 maintenance/overhead fee, you'd rent a squash-o-matic juicer or something like that.

I think the earlier suggestion of choosing cocktails which use little or no lime juice might be less hassle for your big event. Then the challenge is more focused on which recipes you'll select for mass production. Choose your goals so you don't get overwhelmed and get to enjoy some of the event yourself.

Have fun and make sure you let us know what you end up doing and how it goes! Take a few pics to share too.

I think a rental option would be amazing!

Luckily, a few of the drinks we will be serving are lime free, so that makes it a bit easier. (Ancient Mariner, Jungle Bird, Castaway, and 2 originals - Kraken's Wrath and Caffeinated Kama'aina)

Look for juice stores near you. Sometimes healthy juicing places will sell just the juice and you may be able to get them to do all the work for you. There are a few spots in SD that offer that service, it is really nice to not have to deal with all the work of squeezing.

My craft cocktail business uses Natalie's and we are more than satisfied with their products. I have run multiple taste tests vs. fresh juice and there is no difference. We get our juice at a grocer that supplies restaurants. I would think that this would be the best bet for your area.

Other than that, the suggestion about using recipes that don't call for as much lime juice is a good one.

If you are going to regularly host large events like this, a source of good, quality juice is paramount.

• George

Here's Natalie's suppliers
http://www.orchidislandjuice.com/find-locally/

If you're ever in Florida, I suggest picking up a few gallons of this stuff. It's likely what The Mai-Kai uses ...

It's also sold in smaller bottles, but only at our famous roadside stands run by the orange groves. It's 100% fresh juice, not from concentrate, which is a major difference from the brands you find in grocery stores ...

However, I would recommend mixing 2 parts of the key lime juice from concentrate with 1 part of fresh-squeezed Persian lime juice to achieve a similar taste to the tart key lime juice used at The Mai-Kai.