How to Make Sweet and Sour Mix (2024)

By Julie Kotzbach Published in All The Rage

Once you learn How to Make Sweet and Sour Mix you’ll never buy pre-made mix again! Tart & refreshing it’s the perfect complement to your favorite co*cktails!

Fresh sweet and sour mix is a staple at any great bar. Sure you could buy the plastic bottle at the store, but this recipe is so easy to make! You’ll always want to use fresh mix once you try this sweet and sour recipe. It’s a bar staple everyone should know how to make, just like making simple syrup. Luckily, DIY sweet and sour mix is just as easy too. Add it to your favorite co*cktails and taste the difference!

LOVE THIS RECIPE? PIN IT FOR LATER!
Follow Bread Booze Bacon on Pinterest

A lot of time you’ll see co*cktails with a spirit, lemon or lime juice, and simple syrup. If you’re ever in a pinch there’s a good chance you can get away with using this sweet and sour mix instead.

This sweet and sour drink mix uses a 1:1:1:1 ratio. Super simple. And if you keep simple syrup on hand, you can just add the appropriate amounts of lemon and lime juice as needed if you don’t need a big jar of sour mix in the fridge.

What is Sweet and Sour Mix?

• 1 part water
• 1 part sugar
• 1 part fresh lemon juice
• 1 part fresh lime juice

It’s that easy. If you have simple syrup (sugar and water, you have this!) on had already, you’ll combine 2 parts simple syrup with 1 lemon juice and 1 part lime juice. I usually go with 1 cup each and get a quart of fresh sweet and sour mix.

Recipe Hack: If you don’t want to spend the money on fresh-squeezed fruit juice (or you don’t have a neighbor with citrus trees), it’s totally okay to use the store-bought lemon and lime juice bottles. No judgment here friends.

What co*cktail recipes can you make with Sweet and Sour Mix?

There are a number of classic bar drinks and co*cktails to use this homemade sweet and sour mix in.

• Amaretto Sour – a super simple amaretto + sweet and sour mix co*cktail
• Whiskey Sour – another spirit + sweet and sour co*cktail
• Traditional Margarita Recipe, flavored margaritas, and my favorite Margarita Tequila Jello Shots
• Long Island Iced Tea – loaded with booze and you’d never know it!
• The extra boozy drink all my girlfriends used to order, an Adios Motherf*cker
• Beetlejuice co*cktail – perfect for Halloween, but taste amazing any time of year!

How to Make Sweet and Sour Mix

1. Place 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. Transfer simple syrup to a mason jar or other airtight container. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice and 1/2 cup lime juice. Cover and shake vigorously.
3. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

How long does sweet and sour mix last?

• Homemade sweet and sour mix will last 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. You can easily make large or small batches following the 1:1:1:1 rule so you don’t have a lot of extra mix…unless you want it.

Does sweet and sour mix have alcohol?

• Nope. Even the store-bought variety is non-alcoholic.

What is a good substitute for sweet and sour mix?

• Juices – lemonade, limeade, margarita mix, orange juice + pineapple juice with no simple syrup
• Sodas – lemon-lime soda + ginger ale and a splash of lemon or lime juice

Is margarita mix and sweet and sour mix the same?

• More or less, yes. Both are a type of sour mix, but margarita mix is typically lime only. I’ve seen sweet and sour mix and margarita mix used interchangeably on the regular.

What is margarita mix made of?

• Margarita mix usually leaves out the lemon juice for a lime-based sour mix. So you end up with a 1:1:1 ratio of water, sugar, and lime juice.

Have the best home bar around with these tasty co*cktails!

• Pina Colada Rum Punch
• Pomegranate Margarita
• Fish Bowl co*cktail – made for serving a crowd!
• Cranberry Apple Fizz
• Pineapple Mint Prosecco Punch
• Ginger Grapefruit Fizz
• The Belmont Bramble
• Hurricane Party Punch
• Juan Collins
• Happy Hour drink recipes
• Vodka Jello Shots