Cocktails with Fresh lime
Fresh lime is the small green citrus fruit prized in cocktails for its sharp, aromatic juice and oily peel.
How it's used
Where a recipe calls for the fruit rather than its juice, it is usually cut into wedges and muddled, as in a Caipirinha. That way the peel oil goes in too. One lime yields about 30 ml of juice. Rolling it hard on the board before cutting frees juice the squeezer would leave behind. Pick a lime that feels heavy for its size.
Substitutes for Fresh lime
Lemon wedges
The closest swap, as the acid is about the same. The drink turns rounder, without the lime's sharp edge.
Key lime
Smaller, more acidic and more aromatic than a Persian lime. You need more of them to get the same juice.
Fresh lime juice
Use about 30–40 ml per lime. You miss out on the oils from the muddled peel, though.
Bottled lime juice
Works in a pinch, but it tastes flat.
Makrut lime
Not a swap. It is grown for its leaves and peel rather than juice.
Storage
Two or three weeks refrigerated, though the cold of a fridge can injure limes, leaving sunken, discolored spots on the rind. A cool room suits them better than the coldest shelf. Cut wedges last a day at best. Bringing out a shift's worth ahead of service is standard practice.
