Drink · 4 min · 1 tall glass
Salted lime soda
Salt and lime is the oldest zero-proof combination there is. More salt than you think — under-salted it is just lime cordial.
The sheet · 1 tall glass · 4 min
easyWhy tonight. Salt and lime is the oldest zero-proof combination there is. More salt than you think — under-salted it is just lime cordial.
What it needs
Nothing confirmed on your shelf yet — this list is the whole ask.
- lime
- soda
- sugar
- smoked salt
Good if you have them, fine if you do not: mint.
Method
- 1 oz lime, a teaspoon of sugar and a real pinch of salt stirred until both have dissolved, then soda over ice.
- Salt and lime is the oldest zero-proof combination there is and it is still the most refreshing thing you can make in a minute.
- Smoked salt turns it from a soft drink into something you would order.
- More salt than you think. Under-salted, it is lime cordial; correctly salted, it stops you being thirsty.
An educational pour, not a reprint of a licensed spec. No allergen or alcohol-safety claim.
Cook or pour it, then edit the shelf if you emptied a bottle or used the last of something.
Why each of these is on the list
What the ingredients are actually doing
- lime
- Sharper and more floral than lemon, and it fades faster — juice it the same hour you use it.
- soda
- Carbonation is a texture and it is the first thing you lose.
- sugar
- Not just sweetness — it balances acid and bitterness, which is why a sour drink and a tomato sauce both want a little.
- smoked salt
- Smoke without a fire, delivered as seasoning.
Missing one of them? The substitutions are written against those jobs rather than against a chart, so they say what each replacement costs this dish in particular.
Cooks from the same box
If you bought for this, you can already make these
Shares lime, soda, sugar
Mint lime sparkling
Mojito bones with the rum left out, and it holds up because the mint, lime and sugar were always doing most of the work.
Shares lime, soda, smoked salt
Soda María
Michelada without beer: tomato, lime, heat, a smoked-salt rim, soda. Worcestershire if you have it. Don't make a Bloody Mary and call it Mexican.
Shares lime, soda
Gin rickey
Gin, lime and soda with no sugar at all. It is bracing rather than refreshing, and it is the driest long drink on the list.
Shares soda, lime
Ranch water
Tequila, lime and sparkling mineral water. Three ingredients, no sugar at all, and the most refreshing thing at any summer table.
Next
Cook it, then tell the shelf what you used.
The ranking is only as honest as the shelf behind it. Empty the cream, and everything that leaned on cream should stop being offered.