Homemade Lime Cordial
This homemade lime cordial is bright, aromatic, and miles better than anything you’ll find in a bottle. It’s the key ingredient in a proper gimlet, and once you’ve made your own, you won’t go back to store-bought.
About this lime cordial
Lime cordial is a sweetened, concentrated lime syrup. It’s the essential ingredient in a classic gimlet, and it’s what makes it different from a regular lime sour.
The most well-known version is Rose’s lime cordial, originally invented in the 1860s to preserve lime juice for British sailors. The versions available today (especially in the US) taste flat and overly sweet, and they’re full of high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors.
This homemade version is so much better. I rub lime zest directly into sugar before adding any water. The sugar crystals break open the oil cells in the zest and release all those fragrant lime oils, so by the time you add water, your sugar is already packed with lime scent and color. Once the syrup cools, you stir in fresh lime juice and a little citric acid for that sharp tartness that makes a cordial a cordial.
It works beautifully in a vodka gimlet or a classic gin gimlet, but it’s also lovely in sparkling water or mixed into a lime drop martini.
Key ingredients and why
- Fresh limes: You need both the zest and the juice, so look for limes that are bright green and feel heavy for their size (heavy means juicy). The zest is where all those delicious oils live, and the juice provides the backbone of the cordial. You’ll need about 4 limes in total.
- Granulated sugar: Plain white granulated sugar is important here, not just for sweetness, but because the coarse texture is what helps you grind those oils out of the zest. The ratio is 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water, which is the same 1:1 ratio I use in all my simple syrups.
- Citric acid: This is the ingredient that takes your cordial from “nice lime syrup” to a proper, punchy cordial. It adds brightness and a tart edge that lime juice alone can’t quite achieve. You will need a tablespoon. Citric acid powder is easy to find in the baking aisle or online, and a bag will last you ages.
Method
- Zest the limes using a microplane or fine grater.
- Be careful to only take the green outer layer and stop before you hit the white pith underneath, which is bitter.
- Add the sugar to a medium bowl, then add the lime zest. Using your fingers (or the back of a spoon), rub the zest into the sugar for about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the lime sugar to a small saucepan. Add the water and stir over medium heat until the sugar fully dissolves, then take off the heat.
- Once cooled, add fresh lime juice and citric acid, then strain the syrup into a clean jar or bottle.
Tips
Use it in these recipes
This lime cordial is a versatile mixer that works in so many drinks:
- Vodka gimlet – the classic pairing, just vodka and cordial shaken with ice
- Thyme gimlet – swap out the thyme syrup and use this cordial for a more traditional take
- Lime drop martini – use a splash of cordial alongside the fresh lime juice for extra depth
- Vodka lime slush – blend with vodka and ice for a frozen summer drink
Homemade Lime Cordial
Equipment
- Microplane or fine grater
- Medium bowl
- Small saucepan
- Fine mesh strainer
- Clean jar or bottle with lid
- Citrus juicer
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3-4 Tbsp lime zest finely grated, from 4 limes
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice from the zested limes
- 1 Tbsp citric acid powder optional but recommended
Instructions
- Zest all 4 limes using a microplane or fine grater, being careful to only take the green outer layer and avoid the white pith.
- Place the sugar in a medium bowl. Add the lime zest and rub the zest into the sugar using your fingers or the back of a spoon for about 2 minutes, until the sugar is fragrant, damp, and slightly green.
- Transfer the lime sugar to a small saucepan and add the water.
- Stir over medium heat until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture comes to a gentle simmer.
- Remove from heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Stir in the fresh lime juice and citric acid until the citric acid is fully dissolved.
- Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a clean jar or bottle. Press gently on the zest to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Use immediately or seal and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
