Lime cordial

Lime cordial is a non-alcoholic drink, made by mixing concentrated lime juice and sugar with water. Lime cordial is sometimes used as a mixer in cocktails, although it can be drunk on its own.

History

Lauchlan Rose, a ship chandler in Leith, began a process for preserving lime juice in 1865 and registered a patent on preserving lime and lemon juice in 1867. This would eventually become Rose's lime juice one of the first cordials sold in preserved liquid format. Other producers also began growing and selling lime juice commercially as a cordial, including Edmund Sturge through Evans and Sons of Liverpool. The use of lime cordial on both merchant ships and naval vessels as a potential anti scorbutic agent was widely disseminated. From the 1920s onward in Europe, Australia and America, a number of producers marketed lime cordial as a social drink, especially with gin and as a Gimlet.

Production

Lime cordial typically contains lime juice, sugar and water, but may also include citric acid and other food preservatives.

Use in cocktails

Gimlet