Raw Lime Cordial
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Ingredients
- 18limes, room temperature, very ripe, well puffed and heavy
- 2½cups sugar
- 1lb fresh ginger (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
332 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 88 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 66 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 11 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Wash limes in a sinkful of warm water, scrubbing with your hands or a vegetable brush, and let them dry them on a dish towel. Peel them with a vegetable peeler, removing as little of the underlying white pith as possible. To begin each, it’s helpful to cut the polar ends off, where the stem attaches and opposite. This should produce about 140 grams of peels.
- Step 2
Cut limes in half and juice them. This should produce about 2½ cups of juice.
- Step 3
In a non-reactive, coverable container, add sugar to juice and stir until fully dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Crush peels up in handfuls to release the oils as you add them into the juice mix. Stir a bit to initiate extraction of the oils. (If you’re making a ginger version, wash the ginger, then shred it in a blender or food processor (no need to peel it), employing some of the lime juice to allow it to liquefy, and add it into the lime mixture, stirring well.) Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. When ready, strain the cordial off from the peels in a fine mesh strainer or chinoise. Funnel cordial into covered container or cappable bottle and return to refrigerator for another day, to cure, before using. Makes roughly 1 liter.
Private Notes
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Comments
How long will it keep in the fridge? Can you freeze it?
"Peel the limes" Sweet lord no. Microplane the zest off, removing ZERO pith and use that. You won't have to go through the step of "crush peels to release the oils" because you've microplaned them and increased their surface area infinitely and you will get a better cordial than this guy has been making.
You're probably going to need 24 limes (well, Costco limes) to get 140 grams of peel and 2.1/2 cups of juice. Pro tip: use a citrus squeezer, not a juicer, because peeled limes are pretty dang flimsy. Finally, be careful with the vegetable peeler - keep plenty of Band-Aids on hand because you'll need them. Ouch. This should keep in the fridge for about a year, but it'll be a challenge not consuming it within a month because delicious.
add some citric acid to give it a little more oomph? and helps it last a little longer.
This is magnificent, especially in a Gimlet. I've been making it for years after Toby first published an article about it in NYT. And I agree with the commenter who proposed a microplane to zest.
I haven't tried it without the ginger but if you add fresh ginger you need a lot more sugar. I kept adding more to the strained cordial until it was syrupy. A glass of it before I did that gave me a stomach ache