In an ideal world, every cocktail would be made with freshly squeezed juice. But in the real world of busy service, tight margins, and varying guest expectations, it’s not always that simple. While fresh lime juice may be the gold standard, it’s not always the most practical solution for every bar program. But how do the other options stack up?
A recent article in VinePair put eight versions of lime juice and lime juice alternatives to the test in a classic Daiquiri and rated them based on taste, smell, and appearance. And while lime juice squeezed to order unsurprisingly makes the most attractive, delicious cocktail, the other options certainly have their merits.
Full Book spoke with beverage consultant James Lombardino about which options work best based on labor, cost, volume, and guest expectations. Read on to learn which might be the right choice for your bar program.
(As told to Joanna Sciarrino.)
James Lombardino is a beverage consultant at Maverick Theory, where he develops and consults on bars and cocktail programs, ensuring the highest standards, comprehensive training, and exceptional drinks.
There’s no denying that cocktails made with freshly squeezed juice are delicious. But as far as businesses go, there are a lot of other factors to be considered besides is this the absolute best thing I can use? First and foremost is money. Juicing takes labor, it takes someone to actually make it happen, whether that's on the spot or that's the morning of or the afternoon of. And that costs money.
Over the past year and a half I’ve been able to use prepackaged juice, and I’ve been really impressed with the quality of what’s out there. For bigger, higher volume bars or events where you’re just flying through drinks, juicing the amount needed — like 20 quarts — isn’t realistic. Prepackaged higher quality options, like Natalie’s (not ReaLime), have been really successful for those types of projects, where you still want to keep the quality high, but save on the time and labor of actually doing it in-house.
It’s widely agreed upon that fresh-squeezed lime juice is best. But juicing à la minute is somewhat unrealistic in a modern busy bar. I think one of the only places that still really does it is Attaboy — they're only allowed to juice maybe a cup or so ahead of time, everything else is to order — which is great, but painstakingly slow. Plus, I've had plenty of experiences where day-old lime juice is great.
Exploring Lime Juice Alternatives
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