Keep homemade sour mix on hand to make tons of cocktails, from the margarita to the whiskey sour. Great for parties or cocktail mixing whenever you feel like it!
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About this Homemade Sour Mix recipe
If you’ve ever stumbled across a recipe calling for sour mix, sweet-and-sour mix or margarita mix, and then picked some up at the store, then you should know a secret: Homemade sour mix is way more delicious than store-bought sour mix. Why?
Commercial sour mix typically contains other ingredients like artificial flavors and citric acid. Making your own ensures you are using natural ingredients for the freshest flavor. Trust me: This is next-level stuff that will help you step up your home bartending game.
If you’re like me — the type of person who likes to mix up your own cocktails, either for yourself or for a party, — then knowing how to make your own sour mix will save you time, too. Oh, and you’ll also save some money. You can make a lot of sour mix for only a few dollars, whereas you’ll spend a lot on just one bottle of sour mix at the store.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Homemade sour mix is easy to make for use in many cocktail recipes, like the whiskey sour. Bet you can memorize the recipe!
- It’s inexpensive to make, too. It will likely only cost you a few dollars to pick up all the ingredients — and less than the store-bought stuff.
- It’s versatile and works in many favorite cocktails! It’s wonderful to keep on hand or mix up any time you need it.
What is sour mix?
Also known as sweet and sour mix, sour mix is a drink mixer used in cocktails. It is essentially simple syrup that has been flavored with sour citrus juices, typically lemon and lime.
It is beloved in bars around the world because it saves time when mixing drinks as it combines the sweetener and the citrus into one ingredient. Saving time matters greatly when you’re behind a bar making a lot of drinks, whether they have a short ingredient list, like a whiskey sour recipe, or a long list of ingredients, such as the Long Island iced tea.
The sugar and citrus are already added, so in many cases all that’s left is a spirit and maybe one or two more ingredients, like bitters or a mixer such as ginger beer.
Ingredients
You only need four ingredients to make sour mix at home. Start with water or cane sugar or granulated white sugar to make the syrup. This will keep the syrup base clear and colorless.
Filtered water works best for the syrup. At our house, I keep a water filter pitcher * at the ready in our kitchen because it is faster, purer and tastes better than what comes out of our fridge.
Next up is citrus. Sour mix is usually made with all lemon juice or a mix of lemon and lime. If you use all lime juice, you’re essentially making margarita mix instead! If you can take the time to use fresh citrus, you won’t be disappointed.
- Limes juice: Regular limes are great. Key limes will give off a more tart and aromatic taste. You will need about 8 limes to yield 1 cup of juice.
- Lemon juice: Use regular lemons for a more traditional flavor or use Meyer lemons for a more floral flavor. You will need about 6 lemons to yield 1 cup of juice.
Fresh is best, but not the only option: Fresh ingredients always go a long way and offers a more natural, zingy lemon taste. However, you can absolutely use concentrate or bottled lemon juice, especially if you are making a big batch of sour mix. The bottled stuff tends to be sourer than fresh juice, but it is totally fine to use if you prefer or need to scale this recipe.
Instructions
👇 For full measurements and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card. It’s all there waiting for you!
Sour mix is incredibly easy to make. To start, make an easy simple syrup, then add it to the fresh juice and let it infuse.
- Combine equal parts of water and sugar on the stove over medium heat. No need to bring this mixture to a boil (or more liquid will evaporate off — which we don’t want). Stir until combined then remove it from heat. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes.
- Then, stir the juices of the lemons and limes into your simple syrup mixture until combined.
If you need to use it right away, you can stir in a few ice cubes if it’s still warm. Otherwise, decant it into a bottle or mason jar and store it in the fridge. Now you have sour mix to mix into tons of amazing cocktails!
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Variations and substitutions
There are a number of ways to make this recipe all yours.
Play with the ratios
You may prefer your sour mix to be more tart or sweet. Here are a few ways you can mix things up:
- Make yours with all lemon juice for a slightly sweeter taste.
- Or, mix it with all lime juice for a more bitter and tart flavor.
- Add some grapefruit juice for more tartness or orange juice for more sweetness. Try replacing ½ cup of either the lemon or the lime juice, or use ⅔ cup of 3 types of juices.
- Try other types of citrus, such as key limes, Meyer lemons, blood oranges, pomelos, tangerines or clementines.
Feel free to play around with this recipe until you find your favorite combination. Let me know how it goes in the comments below!
Make margarita mix
Sour mix and margarita mix are virtually the same, but margarita mix typically only uses lime juice whereas sour mix traditionally uses lemon and lime. You can throw either one into your cocktail shaker * and your guests likely won’t tell the difference.
Feel free to make this recipe with 2 parts lime juice, 1 part sugar and 1 part water for more lime flavor to use in your favorite margarita recipes.
My favorite way to make margarita mix is to use agave nectar * instead of simple syrup. Because the agave plant is what’s used to make tequila, these two play off of each other really beautifully.
Add egg whites
For some cocktails, like the whiskey sour, you may wish to add egg whites to give the
If you’re planning to make lots of cocktails with that signature foamy texture, you can add egg whites straight into to your sour mix if you plan to make a bunch. After the mixture has cooled completely, simply stir in one egg white for every 2 cups of sour mix.
However, adding egg white changes the shelf life; make sure you use it up within 1 or 2 days. Make sure you refrigerate the sour mix when not in use.
raw egg warning
Egg whites from pasteurized eggs are safe for cocktails. Egg whites give drinks a silky texture with a foamy layer on top. You can also use liquid egg whites, aquafaba or non-egg foam alternative for cocktails to attain a similar effect.
Caution: Raw eggs can carry a risk of illness.
Substitutes for sour mix
You can use any citrus juice, such as lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit — or a combination — to mix with a sweetener like simple syrup, honey syrup, agave nectar * or even maple syrup. Anything labeled “margarita mix” will also work.
What to make with sour mix
The beauty of sour mix is you can use it to make so many great cocktails!
- Add a splash of sour mix to a vodka soda or a gin and tonic for a little extra sweetness.
- Try it in sour cocktails, such as a tequila sour, whiskey sour, an amaretto sour or a midori sour. Sour drinks are a class of classic cocktails and they are always a hit.
- Replace the syrup and citrus juice of any cocktail with a single shot of sour mix, like the classic margarita, a Tom Collins or a mojito.
Sour mix can be used in alcohol-free drinks as well. You can also simply add it to an ice-filled glass and top it with club soda for an easy mocktail or use an all-lemon version as a base for homemade lemonade. Simply add 2 parts water to 1 part sour mix.
More homemade drink essentials
- Syrups: Simple syrup is key to sweetening tons of cocktails, and you can use my recipe to mix up tons of combinations, like cinnamon syrup, lavender syrup and mint syrup.
- Mixers: You can make homemade grenadine syrup is a tasty syrup to keep on hand. My homemade Bloody Mary mix makes a big batch of everyone’s favorite savory cocktail to serve alongside delicious brunches.
- Garnishes: There’s nothing like a homemade cocktail cherry to garnish your old-fashioned, whiskey sour or Manhattan.
- Infused spirits: You can also make homemade liqueurs, like jalapeño tequila for spicy margaritas or spiced rum for tiki drinks.
Leave a comment or tap the ★★★★★ below to leave a rating — it helps others and supports our work. We love hearing how it turned out!
Homemade Sour Mix
ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup lime juice
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 2 whole egg whites optional
instructions
- Combine sugar and water over medium heat. Stir until combined and remove from heat. Let cool for 10 minutes.1 cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Stir in lemon juice and lime juice until well combined.1 cup lime juice, 1 cup lemon juice
- If using right away, stir in 1-2 ice cubes to reduce the temperature. Otherwise decant into a jar or bottle and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- If a frothier sour mix is desired (such as for whiskey sours), you can mix in 2 egg whites to the cooled mixture. Shake well to combine. If adding egg whites, use within 2 days.2 whole egg whites
notes
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Linda says
I’ve never tried adding egg whites to my drink and now I’m hooked!
Rupali says
Made this for our Girls Night In. It was a big hit with my friends. Looking forward to making more such cocktail recipes.
Mandy Applegate says
YES! This is exactly what I was looking for and it turned out great!
Jennifer says
I was just thinking I haven’t had a good sour in a while and this mix made it so easy! Now I can make sours with all my favorite booze!
Lynn Polito says
This is so easy! I can’t believe I havent made it before!
Sherry says
My husband uses the store bought sour mix. When I came across your sour mix recipe, I had to try it. I made a batch of sour mix and he loved your homemade recipe way better than the store bought that he normally buys.
Patrice says
You’re right! This was easy to make and so much cheaper than buying it premade at the store. Oh, and not to mention yours taste better.
Eileen Kelly says
I have found my new go-to mix. This was a huge hit for the hubs and I. The addition of the egg whites made this over the top yummy.
Alex Bala says
This was exactly the recipe I have been looking for. I made the best margarita with this sour mix!
Kathy Hester says
This is so much better than store-bought and it’s even easy to make. I’m using aquafaba (bean water) to make a vegan froth.
Julie says
This mix is the best I’ve ever made!
Karin says
This was great! I loved it. Can you share a recipie for strawberry raspberry sour?
Susannah says
That sounds so good! You might enjoy my raspberry daiquiri recipe (a daiquiri is a type of sour cocktail). Make a combination raspberry-strawberry syrup to go in it!