This homemade sweet and sour mix recipe is made using fresh citrus fruits and sweet simple syrup. Best of all, I’m spilling the secrets on all the differences between sour mix, margarita mix, and how to customize your own seasonal mixers to wow your guests throughout the year!
We’ve all been there: in a hurry to make cocktails for a crowd and tempted by that shelf-stable bottle of sour mix. While there is no shame in choosing the quick way out, there is a much more flavorful road to travel down, and it really does make a big difference in your favorite drinks. Typically, as a home bartender, I favor squeezing fresh juices for each cocktail, but sometimes you need a shortcut, and this DIY sour mix fits the bill while also being full of flavor— without any questionable ingredients.
You can use your own sour mix in place of fresh juice and simple syrup in a variety of drinks like classic daiquiris, upgraded classic margaritas, and whiskey sours. I’ve even used this mix as a marinade for meats, mojo style! Seriously, it’s versatile. This mix is a great way to customize your beverages even if you don’t drink alcohol, because it allows you to effortlessly mix mocktails and sodas with a burst of sweet and sour flavor.
why this sour mix recipe works:
🍋 bold & flavorful. A blend of fresh citrus juices brings a big flavor payoff to this mixer. You get to customize the balance of sweet and sour, too, because homemade simple syrup allows you to tweak the taste!
🙌 quick & easy. The hardest part about this recipe is cleaning up. Honestly, isn’t that the hardest part of cooking anything?!
🧊 freezer friendly. While I tend to favor freshly squeezed juices in cocktails, this recipe is super easy to make and store in the freezer, so I have ready-to-go mixer cubes at a moment’s notice!
🛒 ingredients
- fresh lemons – fresh squeezed lemon juice brings a bright and bold citrus flavor that builds the base of this mixer. You can use conventional lemons or meyer lemons, which will be a bit sweeter than regular lemons.
- fresh limes – the combination of lemon juice and freshly squeezed lime juice gives layers of citrus flavor, similar to your favorite lemon lime soda pops! Want to get super seasonal? Try using key limes for a more floral flavor!
- granulated sugar – you’ll need some plain granulated cane sugar to make a simple syrup for this sour drink mix. Stick to white cane sugar so that the taste is light and sweet. A darker sugar will impact the color and taste of this mix.
- water – plain old filtered water from your fridge or sink will do fine! Filtered water is best because it has a more pure taste without additional funky flavors, which would impact the taste of the sour mix.
🍳 instructions
There are two phases to this recipe: making the simple syrup and juicing the citrus. Thankfully, you can juice the citrus while the simple syrup cooks and cools.
Step 1: Combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Cook on medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, then allow the simple syrup to cool.
Step 2: Slice and juice your lemons and limes until you have one cup of lemon juice, and one cup of lime juice.
Step 3: Mix the cooled simple syrup, lime juice, and lemon juice in a container of your choice.
Step 4: Store the homemade sweet and sour mix in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
💡tips & tricks for getting it right
🍽️ serving tips
- mocktails
- homemade lemon-lime soda – combine this sour mix and seltzer water or club soda to make a homemade lemon-lime soda that is way more fresh than anything you can get at the market!
- sour mocktails – use this as a drink mixer in zero-proof options like this blackberry sour mocktail, which is an updated take on traditional sour drinks.
- cocktails
- margaritas – margarita mix is traditionally made with only lime juice. You can make that swap and then use it in any margarita recipe, from a classic margarita recipe to a more seasonal variation.
- sour cocktails – most cocktails that fall into the “sour cocktail” category include only lemon juice, so leave out the lime if you want the best-tasting classic cocktails. Popular sour drinks include the tom collins, amaretto sour, whisky sour, and pisco sour. Most of these recipes also include egg whites to create a frothy, foamy top layer and thicker, more velvety mouthfeel, so I recommend including 3-4 egg whites if you want to create that same texture with this mix.
- freeze it – there’s no secret that I love freezing things into ice cubes. Hold my mickey pretzel, I have a freezer dedicated to ice, what’s more childless millennial than that?!
- gift it – did you get stuck with being in charge of ice and cups for a party? Whip up a batch of this sour mix and show ‘em who really knows how to have a good time. Extra points for making your own creative labels for giftable glass bottles.
ℹ️ troubleshooting tips
- too sour – old or overripe fruits can make your sour mix taste super sour instead of a nicely balanced sour mix. You can add a little bit of a saline solution for drinks to help balance things out, or you can add more simple syrup to your mix.
- juice worth the squeeze – leaving your citrus out at room temperature for 30 -60 minutes before preparing the recipe can help you to maximize the amount of juice you extract from the fruits.
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♻️ substitutions & variations
Missing an ingredient? No problem. Check out these tried-and-true substitutions, or comment below with your question. I’m here to help you troubleshoot!
- honey or agave – you can use honey or agave nectar to make a simple syrup instead of granulated sugar.
- spicy – add a dash of red pepper, chipotle pepper, or cayenne pepper to your simple syrup while it’s simmering to give your simple syrup, and your sweet and sour mix, a kick!
- switch up the juice – my favorite way to make custom cocktail mixes is to play around with adding difference juices to the base of citrus juice. Add in 1 cup of orange juice (or a seasonal citrus like blood orange juice) or use another citrus like grapefruit juice. Other juices like fresh passion fruit juice or pineapple juice make the perfect complement for a more tropical take!
- homemade margarita mix – if you’re making a big batch of margs, you can use lime juice only in place of the lemon-lime citrus combo.
- lemon sour mixer – for a strict “sour cocktail” mix, use fresh lemon juice only, no lime. You can also add a few egg whites so that when shaken in a cocktail shaker, the mix creates a nice strong foamy froth for the top of your drinks.
🧰 equipment needed & storage tips
- citrus juicer – you can use a small, manual handheld juicer, but I prefer using an electric one when I’m juicing a ton of citrus, like in this recipe.
- mesh sieve – if you don’t want any citrus pulp in your homemade sour mix, you can strain it through a fine mesh sieve to strain out the pulp. Be sure to use a stainless steel strainer. Aluminum mesh sieves can impart a metallic flavor to foods that are acidic, like citrus juices.
- small saucepan – you’ll need a small 1.5-quart sauce pan for making your simple syrup. Like with the mesh sieve, make sure to use a pan that is not aluminum.
- mixing or measuring glass – you’ll need a large measuring glass or mixing glass to combine all the juices and simple syrup.
- airtight storage container – you’ll need a pitcher or an airtight beverage container to store your sweet and sour mix, like a large mason jar or pitcher with a lid.
🛠️ The right tools for the job:
- Use pots, pans, and strainers that are non-reactive, like stainless steel. Additionally, I recommend using silicone utensils instead of wooden or metal tools. Enameled cast iron is also a great choice!
- Aluminum can react to acids and impart a metallic taste, even when you’re just quickly straining a liquid! Wood can also absorb flavors from cooking, whereas silicone tools can be left right in the pot when things cook.
- The best bet for a pure citrus flavor is using non-reactive tools, like stainless steel, enameled cast iron, and silicone.
🫙 storage tips
The finished sour mix will keep in your fridge for up to 5 days. Since this recipe only uses fresh ingredients, it doesn’t have any preservatives to keep it fresh longer. If you want to store this recipe for longer, you can freeze it for longer-term storage.
If you make this recipe, please leave a review in the comments and a star rating!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Homemade Sweet and Sour Cocktail Mix (with Variations)
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Equipment
- 1 citrus press
- 1 1.5-quart saucepan
- 1 fine mesh sieve optional
Ingredients
- 6 whole lemons enough to get 1 cup of juice
- 8 whole limes enough to get 1 cup of juice
- 150 g granulated sugar 3/4 cup
- 177 g filtered water 3/4 cup
Instructions
- Combine 150 g granulated sugar and 177 g cup filtered water in a 1.5-quart saucepan. (3/4 cup sugar + 3/4 cup water)
- Place the saucepan over medium heat until it reaches a simmer.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool. You should have about a cup of syrup.
- While the syrup cools, juice about 6 lemons and about 8 limes, until you have 1 cup of each kind of juice.
- Strain your juices through a fine mesh sieve to remove the pulp, if desired.
- When the syrup is completely cooled, combine the syrup and both the lemon and lime juice in a pitcher or other airtight container.
- Store the sweet and sour mix in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Use it in any cocktails you like!
Notes
Variations
- If you want to make a margarita mix, replace the lemons with more limes.
- If you want to make a classic lemon sour mix, use only lemons in place of any limes.
- Try switching things up by using a blend of juices, like orange juice, tangerine juice, grapefruit juice, blood orange juice, or more tropical fruit juices like passion fruit and pineapple!
Troubleshooting
- too sour or bitter – make sure your citrus is ripe and fresh. Overripe or spoiled citrus will be bitter.
- saline solution – use a homemade saline solution for drinks to offset any extreme sour flavors.
- more simple syrup – you can also add in more simple syrup to balance the sour flavor.
Nutrition Information
The information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition facts calculator and actual nutrition facts may vary.
