While shopping at your local market recently you may have noticed that lime prices have been abnormally high—around four to 10 times the standard price. According to reports, Mexican drug cartels blocking the exportation of limes, poor crop yeilds and huanglongbing, a citrus greening disease that is decimating citrus production in Florida, are three reasons for the current shortage of limes.
Many cocktails, bartenders and spirit sippers have been hit hard by the lime shortage.
“The shortage hit its high point (so far) at a terrible time for bartenders. The snow had finally thawed after one of the worst winters and everyone, bartenders included, needed something familiar to identify with,” says Hendricks’s Gin’s brand ambassador Jim Ryan. “Classics like fresh gin gimlets, margaritas, gin rickeys, mojitos, daiquiris, caipirinhas, mai tais, last words, and any riff on these classics have suffered. It’s quite stifling to the bartending community.”
With the onset of warm weather, bartenders have moved away from a winter cocktail menu that features brown spirits and stirred cocktails to spring menu of refreshing shaken citrus beverages, according to Ryan. Much to their chagrin though, bartenders have to deal with the high cost of limes, an essential ingredient in most of their drinks.
“Some bars have gone ahead and raised the price of all their drinks to cover the cost of limes, while other bars have decided to take the hit on their bottom line by keeping their prices the same but see it as a short term loss,” says Ryan. “The worst part about this is that most of the limes available currently are awful. The juice yield is low, the skin is too tough and they are about one third the size of what we’re used to.”
On the other hand, some bars are choosing to avoid purchasing limes and instead are being inventive and using other ingredients and forms of garnish. Bartenders are turning to veggies like cucumbers, citrusy twists of orange and grapefruit, and aromatic herbs like rosemary instead of limes.
“But still, it’s pretty grim when you order a Mexican beer and get a lemon sticking out of the long neck,” says Ryan. “It’s the garnish version of the extended middle finger.”
Here are six limeless cocktails that we guarantee are delicious and will get you through the lime shortage.
Hendrick’s Cucumber Southside
Ingredients
1.5 parts Hendrick’s Gin
3/4 part fresh lemon juice
3/4 part simple syrup
3 cucumber wheels
5 to 8 mint leaves
1 cucumber wheel, for garnish
Directions
1. Combine the ingredients in a mixing container. (We keenly suggest a gentle muddle). 2. Add ice, shake with vigor and strain. 3. Garnish with a fourth cucumber wheel and serve in a chilled martini glass.
Cucumber Lemonade