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Ingredient

Fresh citrus juice

Lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange juice, squeezed the day you use it. It is the single biggest difference between a good sour and a flat one.

Ratio

Rough yields: a lime gives about ¾ to 1 oz of juice, a lemon about 1 to 1½ oz, an orange about 2 to 3 oz.

Method

Roll the fruit firmly on the counter before cutting; it loosens the juice.
Halve it and squeeze with a hand press, cut side down.
Strain out seeds and large pulp through a fine strainer.
Keep it cold until you use it.

Shelf life

Best the day it is squeezed; refrigerate and use within 24 hours. Bottled juice tastes flat by comparison.

Notes

Room-temperature fruit gives more juice than cold fruit.
Squeeze only what you need for the session.
Lime cordial is not a substitute for fresh lime juice: it is sweetened and acts as both citrus and sugar.

Suggested as a swap in

Other ingredients