Lime Cordial

I grew up drinking Rose's Sweetened Lime Cordial - it was a great addition to water or lemonade (the British version) and for a kid, it was the perfect combination of sweet and tart. In fact, it was used to be a staple for tennis players to drink as a thirst quencher.


So when I read this article in T Magazine about making your own lime cordial as a much better starting point for a Gimlet, I was intrigued. I haven't had Rose's in years, but I am always on the look out for interesting new twists on cocktails.


The recipe has just a few steps and once you get the hang of peeling and squeezing it's fairly easy. And the result is truly eye opening. Yes, there's sugar in there, but it's all about the pure expression of the lime juice and zest.


Ingredients (adjusted quantities from the T Magazine recipe)
- 6 limes
- Just under 1 cup of sugar


Directions
1) Wash and clean the limes.
2) Cut off the ends of the limes.
3) Peel the limes, removing as little pith (the white stuff) as possible.
4) Cut the limes in half and juice them into a non-reactive bowl.
5) Stir the sugar into the lime juice, until the sugar is dissolved - a few minutes.
6) Add the lime peel, handfuls at a time, crushing and smushing the lime peel for adding.
7) Stir the lime / lime peel mixture.
8) Refrigerate, covered, for 12 to 24 hours.
9) Strain and put in it's final container (glass bottle).
10) Refrigerate for another 12 to 24 hours to cure.

Immediately after it's ready, make a Gin Gimlet. In a cocktail shaker, add 1.25oz gin (Plymouth's) and 1oz lime cordial over ice, and shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime twist or lime slice. This recipe is more of a guideline than a prescription, although this version produced a really balanced, enjoyable cocktail.