Homemade Sweetened Lime Juice and Sweet-and-Sour Mix

I am by no means a bar connoisseur, but I have been drinking vodka gimlets almost exclusively for a few years. OK, OK, maybe eight glasses of water a day and a few vodka gimlets to finish me off. OK, OK, just kidding. Maybe.

Gimlets contain only two ingredients, really: vodka and sweetened lime juice. Most bars carry the bottled Rose's Lime Juice -- the lime alternative to Grenadine -- for this sort of thing. However, gimlets made with homemade (bar-made) lime juice blow the bottled stuff away. They are less tart, more sweet and just great for sucking down.

Homemade Sweetened Lime Juice

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup fresh lime juice

Make a simple syrup by combining water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves and syrup begins to thicken slightly. Cool.

Mix syrup with lime juice and chill until cold.

Keeps for one week, covered, in the refrigerator.

or try

Homemade Sweet-and-Sour Mix

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup fresh lime juice
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Make a simple syrup by combining water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves and syrup begins to thicken slightly. Cool.

Mix syrup with lime and lemon juices and chill until cold.

Keeps for one week, covered, in the refrigerator.

More tips:
The simple syrup can be made without boiling by dissolving the sugar in lukewarm water and shaking very well. The viscosity may be affected, yielding a thinner syrup that's probably just more of a sweet water. Same dealio.

For my dieting-while-drinking sisterhood here in L.A., substitute Splenda for the sugar in these recipes and play with liquid amounts to achieve a good sour-sweet balance.