An Easy Sour Mix Recipe To Really Improve Your Drinks

Making homemade sour mix is so easy, and once you try a few cocktails with the homemade version there's no going back to store bought.

The best recipe for homemade sour mix

Homemade sour mix is made with 1/2 cup each of fresh lemon and lime juice, water and sugar. It's bright and zingy, balanced with sweetness and is a great time saving make ahead recipe for homemade cocktails.

For the best tasting mix use fresh citrus!

One of the things that makes the DIY version taste so much better than the store bought version is the fresh juice. The zip of fresh citrus can't be replaced with pre-bottled citrus juice.

How to make sour mix

1. Juice your lemons and limes: Juice lemons and limes for 1/2 cup of each juice and combine.
2. Make quick simple syrup: Add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup water to a small saucepan. Heat gently on low, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is just dissolved.
3. Combine and refrigerate: Let the simple syrup cool to room temperature before adding to the lemon/lime juice. Store in a clean bottle in the fridge.

Once made, your batch of sweet and sour mix will last for about 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

How to use your homemade sour mix

This sour mix recipe is made to match the sweet/sour levels of premade versions so it can be substituted right in to any cocktail recipe that calls for the usual store bought mix.

It's also a great mixer to leave out on a self-serve drink station and goes well with a variety of different booze.

For a super easy sour mix cocktail shake up 2 oz of rum, gin, or tequila with 2 oz of sour mix and serve over ice.

Or try it in an Amaretto Stone Sour or an AMF.

Substitute for sour mix

As a quick sour mix substitute use equal parts simple syrup and lemon or lime juice. So if a recipe calls for 1 oz sour mix you could swap it out for 1/2 oz simple syrup and 1/2 oz of lime juice.

You could also use honey, agave, or maple syrup instead of the simple syrup but since they are sweeter only use half as much. Ex: use 1/2 oz of lemon juice and 1/4 oz honey as a substitute for 1 oz of sour mix

making sour mix for margaritas

If you're making sour mix ahead of time for Margaritas you can use the same recipe but use all lime juice and skip the lemon.

A classic Margarita is made with tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur but a quick version with 2 oz tequila and 2 oz of all lime sour mix is delicious too.

Is sour mix the same as sweet and sour mix?

Yes. "Sour mix" and "sweet and sour mix" are two names for the same sweet and tart citrus cocktail mixer.

Some more deliciousness:

Make a blue AMF drink

Also try making your own grenadine

Try this super flavorful citrus peel syrup

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