My Limeade

They say the perfect lemonade has a pH of 2.7, a lesson from a class I probably need to retake. But what about our friends, the limes? And what is the key difference between limes and lemons besides their coloring? Well, limes tend to be more tart and bitter, while lemons are more sour and acidic. In fact, the more you shake limes in preparing cocktails, the drink can often become more bitter as a result. Why limeade, you ask? Today, I only have limes on hand but want lemonade. So… No matter your preferred acidity level in the “ades,” you must try this one – my limeade!

You can extract lime juice in several ways: muddling, juicing, or using a hand-held squeezer. Use a jar with a lid or mixing tins for shaking. I choose muddling and mixing tins for this one.

I chose demerara sugar because it contains a small amount of molasses, offering slightly more complexity. If you use white granulated sugar, turbinado, or flavored sugar, your limeade will still turn out just fine.

Bar Chef Notes: Roll room temperature limes before cutting them to maximize the amount of juice extracted.

My Limeade

Ingredients:

4 whole limes

2-3 tablespoons of demerara sugar for more tart and 1/2 oz for more sweetness touch of cinnamon for good luck?

2 cups of water

Method:

1. Wash and cut the limes into small pieces to make muddling easier. Begin by muddling the limes in a jar or mixing tin to release their juices. Careful if you use a jar when mussing as it’s glass.

2. Add the demerara sugar to the muddled limes and continue to muddle until the sugar is dissolved and well combined with the lime juice. It’s okay if there is some sugar granules.

3. Pour in the water and give the mixture a good shake to ensure all the ingredients are well mixed.

4. Strain the limeade mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any pulp or seeds, if you want to. You can garbage dump all the muddled limes if you like. I vote leave out the muddled limes for this one.

5. Taste the limeade and adjust the sweetness level by adding more sugar if desired.

6. Serve the limeade over ice and garnish with a slice (or several in my case) of lime for a refreshing, sweet but not too sweet and tangy drink. Cheers!

Bar Chef Notes: Adding a touch of ground cinnamon to the simple syrup provides a hint of warmth and…wait, what? It’s optional, of course.

Where to buy the goods? Bucket glasses, muddlers, cutting boards, pH strips and stuff? Blonde Behind the Bucket Storefront of course. Please know that I may receive commissions from eligible purchases. Thank you so much!