Best Homemade Sour Mix Recipe (2024)

By Rebecca Hubbell on September 3, 2020 | Updated March 15, 2024 | Rate Recipe

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This Homemade Sweet and Sour Mix recipe is perfect for making Whiskey Sour co*cktails and so much more! Made with fresh lemon and lime juice, sugar, and water, this sour recipe is a simple but essential craft drink staple.

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This Homemade Sweet and Sour Mix recipe is perfect for making Whiskey Sour co*cktails and so much more! Made with fresh lemon and lime juice, sugar, and water, this sour recipe is a simple but essential craft drink staple.

Ready to channel your inner mixologist? You’ll want to stock your bar with more homemade drink essentials like this Sour Mix, Simple Syrup, and Grenadine!

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The Best Homemade Sour Mix Recipe

You can’t have a bar without Sour Mix. For the best taste, skip the store-bought stuff and make your own instead!

This recipe is a must if you enjoy classic co*cktails, whiskey-lemon juice concoctions, or fancy craft drinks! While it’s ideal as a Whiskey Sour mix recipe, it’s perfect for shaking up other drinks and co*cktails, too.

Sour Mix Ingredients

This recipe is made with equal parts of lemon juice, lime juice, sugar, and water. If you prefer your sour mix to be more tart than sweet, you can reduce the sugar by half.

Lemon juice – For bright, sour flavor.
Lime juice – For even more dimension and citrusy goodness.
Granulated sugar – So it’s not TOO sour!
Water – Add more liquid and prevent the acidity from being too overpowered.

How To Make Sour Mix

Add the sugar and water as well as the lime and lemon juices to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes before removing from heat and allowing to cool completely before bottling up and using!

Store in a high-quality glass bottle or jars like a mason jar or a Weck Bottle to ensure ultimate freshness.

Run the fruit juices through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any pulp. Or run the whole mixture through once it has cooled.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What Is Sour Mix?

Also known as sweet and sour mix, it’s used in co*cktail recipes and has a citrusy base with a bit of sugar. It’s popular in drink recipes made with whiskey, tequila, and amaretto.

Is Sour Mix Alcoholic?

The mixture itself is not, but it is most commonly used in co*cktail recipes.

Is It Gluten Free/Vegan/Keto?

This mix is both gluten-free and vegan. (If you have any concerns, just make sure to get sugar that’s either gluten-free or vegan certified.) However, it’s not keto-friendly since there’s sugar in it.

What’s The Difference Between Sour And Margarita Mix?

Margarita mix is traditionally made with just lime juice. That said, you can definitely use this mix for margaritas.Or you can make margarita mix with the same process using a 1:1:1 ratio of water, sugar, and lime juice.

What Is The Shelf Life Of Sour Mix?

Yes, but luckily it lasts a while – about 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. You can add 1 tablespoon of vodka to extend the shelf life by about 1 week.

Can It Be Frozen?

Yes, you can! Just wait until it’s completely cooled then put it in a freezer-safe container or bag or freeze it in an ice cube tray.

How Much Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe yields about 2 cups. Feel free to double it if you’re making large batch co*cktails, but I find that this is more than enough if you’re just making a few drinks here and there over the course of a couple of weeks.

What Drinks Can I Make With Sour Mix?

Grab your co*cktail shaker and mix up some classic sour drink recipes:

Amaretto Sour– This is one of my favorite co*cktail recipes! It’s the perfect blend of sweet and sour, yet still quite refreshing.
Whiskey Sour– This classic is made with the addition of an egg white and is also sometimes referred to as a Boston Sour.
Tequila Sour – This one has a nice kick and gets finished with lemon-lime soda.
Vodka Sour – This version gets a dash of bitters for a refined finish.
New York Sour – Made with a red wine floater, this is the prettiest of them all!
Margaritas – One of the most popular drinks around! Although it’s usually made with just lime juice, you can use sour mix in it as well.

We also love using it in this Blueberry Gin Sour co*cktail!

More Homemade Drink Ingredients

Raspberry Simple Syrup – Sweet, tart, and perfect for mixing in co*cktails, iced teas, or lemonades!
Candied Lemons – These make a sweet, beautiful garnish for any drink.
Grenadine Syrup – Made with pomegranate juice, this bar staple is way better homemade!
Homemade Irish Cream – A rich, boozy mix-in for your coziest co*cktails.

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If you’ve tried thisrecipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!

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5 from 6 votes

Sour Mix

Author Rebecca Hubbell

Course Drink

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Cooling Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients

▢ ½ cup water
▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
▢ ½ cup lime juice
▢ ½ cup lemon juice

Instructions

Add ingredients to a medium pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes before bottling.

Notes

Store for about 2 to 3 weeks in a bottle in the refrigerator.
This mix is both gluten-free and vegan. (If you have any concerns, just make sure to get sugar that’s either gluten-free or vegan certified.) However, it’s not keto-friendly since there’s sugar in it.
This recipe is made with equal parts of lemon juice, lime juice, sugar, and water. If you prefer your sour mix to be more tart than sweet, you can reduce the sugar by half.
This recipe yields about 2 cups. Feel free to double it if you’re making large-batch co*cktails, but I find that this is more than enough if you’re just making a few drinks here and there over the course of a couple of weeks.

Nutrition

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