As with so many of these recipes, an advanced bartender can adjust the amounts to match the house proportions for the type of cocktail. The use of “Sour Mix” is universally accepted as citrus and sweetener – in pre-prohibition days both lemons and limes were not always available fresh everywhere all of the time. Sometimes one would be used, sometimes the other depending upon availability, especially up north.
Some bartenders mixed the two (lemon juice and lime juice) creating “sour mix” and then added simple syrup to the mix in equal proportions (1 oz sour mix, 1 oz simple syrup) to balance out the sourness.
As an example – Margaritas are “Daisy” type drinks, as they were and are known. Daisy type drinks also include the Sidecar, which uses lemon juice. Margaritas use lime.
So please take any drink on this site and adjust it to your level of expertise, and MAINLY based on your client preferences to be as fresh, strong (or weak), as you/THEY want, and according to the syrup, liquor, and liqueur brands that you have in stock (at least until you can get something better).
As long as the recipe adjustments stay within the parameters of the drink’s proper ratios of ingredients to one another, you’ll have a balanced drink that remains in the proper named category.
Good luck! And God Damnit – Life IS F****** Short – BELIEVE ME, I’m telling you the truth baby – SO ENJOY!
45 years behind the pine.
Experience Talks.
