When life gives you lemons, grab some limes and whip up a batch of this homemade sweet and sour mix! A staple for any bar and the perfect complement to your favorite cocktails (hello, margaritas!), this homemade recipe has just three ingredients and is so easy to make. Take your cocktails to a whole new level of refreshing!
While you can buy sweet and sour mix at the store, it often comes with extra preservatives and artificial flavors that aren’t needed for a yummy cocktail. Making it yourself will make your cocktails taste fresher and with just a few simple, inexpensive ingredients, saves you money. With only twenty minutes of your time, it would be silly NOT to make your own!
What is Sweet and Sour Mix
This is basically a lemon-lime simple syrup, combining sugar and water with lime and lemon juice. It will perk up many of your favorite cocktails, especially margaritas, and can be made in minutes. Try it with this Amaretto Sour, Midori Sour or this fruity Tropical Margarita Sangria.
Sweet and Sour Mix Recipe
Grab some lemons, limes, sugar, and water, and you are ready to go! Fresh is best when it comes to any cocktail, so we recommend using juice from about 7 fresh limes and 2 lemons. Simmer one cup of sugar and two cups of water over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved completely. Then add 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice and 1/2 cup fresh lime juice and it’s ready to go!
How to Make Homemade Sweet and Sour Mix
- Start with a cup of granulated sugar.
- Add 2 cups of water and simmer over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Next, add half a cup each of fresh lemon and lime juice. You’ll need about seven plump lemons and limes. Hint: microwave your fruit for about ten seconds and then roll on the counter with your hand to get those juices flowing.
- Your Sweet and Sour Mix is now ready! You can store it in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week, or even longer in the freezer.
Drinks That Use This Mix
Sweet and Sour Mix
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice about 7 limes
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice about 2 lemons
Instructions
- Simmer 2 cups of water and 1 cup of granulated sugar over medium heat until it is fully dissolved.
- Pour into a jar and let it come to room temperature.
- Add 1/2 cup of lemon juice and 1/2 cup lime juice.
- Store it in a sealed container for one month.
Pat says
yOUR DESCRIPTION above the recipe states 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water, while the recipe states the opposite. Which one is right?
The recipe, fixed the description, thanks!
ReNee says
Your descrip indicates 7 limes
2 limes.
Shouldnt one be lemons
Yeah! Mistype, it is fixed now. Thank you!
Christiann says
Hi Does this have to be refrigerated?
yes, it should be kept in the refrigerator. Hope you like it!