Hi, Friends of Cocktails! Super Juice saves you time and money, but how much exactly? Today we partnered with Mijenta Tequila to dive into the depths and benefits of using Super Juice in your bar or for hosting cocktail parties. We’ll also go over what Super Juice is in case you haven’t heard of it yet, and then we’ll see why the cocktail world has been talking about it for the last 2 years. Finally, of course, we’ll spice it up with some cocktails, so stick around!
First and foremost, Mijenta is a brand that focuses on sustainability, environmental responsibility and community in its core - and I can’t wait for that community to include our Friends of Cocktails. Because of that, today’s cocktails will be made in the spirit of Mijenta Echo Verde, Echoing Change, One Cocktail at a Time. The first will be a minty spiced Tequila Highball, then a riff on a Corpse Reviver with clarified Orange Super Juice, but before that let’s get into some facts, numbers and experiments.
Super Juice is a technique developed by Nickle Morris, and as said before, almost everyone in the cocktail world has been talking about it. To see why let’s start with a small experiment. Using some good ol’ elbow grease you need around 30 limes to get 1 liter of juice, which should be good for 40 or so cocktails. Timing this as well, the entire process for this 1L of juice took 10 minutes and 6 seconds, which could be a lot if you work at a busy bar that needs a lot of lime juice.
Not just that, but the acid from the limes can get on your hands and give you burns, so imagine doing that multiple times a week, or even the same day! So let’s compare that to making 1 liter of Super Juice. It’s Super Juice time!
Lime Super Juice
● 56g Lime Peels
● 37.33g Citric Acid
● 18.65g Malic Acid
● 932.96g Water
Make sure you’re working with limes with food-grade peels and clean them thoroughly before starting. From here we’re starting with peeling the limes, I started with 5, trying not to get too much of the white pith. Then weigh the peels to see where you’re at, and if you have a different amount feel free to use the Mijenta Calculators here to see how much acids and water you’ll be adding.
In the original recipe this would sit for 1 hour, but if you have a good blender it will do that job for you. To make good use of this time I’ll also squeeze the peeled limes, since we’ll add that juice in as well. Once all the peels are fully blended we’ll then just strain out all of the solids using a cloth filter.
This part might be a bit time consuming depending on your equipment, but meanwhile you have time to prepare other things. Don’t forget to help it along with a potato ricer to get the best yield and that’s it. In total we spent 8 min and 25 seconds of labour to end up with a little over 1 liter of Lime Super Juice, and while 2 minutes might not sound like much, trust me, we saved quite some effort.
The great thing about Super Juice though is that the more you make, the bigger is the difference, since you’re only adding the time to peel additional limes and a bit of extra time for straining. And if you think 1 liter of Super Juice is too much for you as a home bartender, just freeze it into smaller bottles or containers and take it out a few hours before.
Of course it’s not just time you’re saving, but also money. If you’re managing a bar you’ll be saving on your man hours from bartenders or barbacks prepping the lime juice, but also with all the limes you won’t be buying. For 1 liter of fresh lime juice we needed 30 limes, which cost us €21 or $22.62. For the Super Lime uice we needed 5 limes, which cost us €3.50 or $3.75. That's the current prices in Slovenia, so the exact numbers may vary on this.
We can’t forget about the citric and malic acid, which amount to €0.93or $1 for the amounts we used. So in total we’re up to €4.43 or $4.77. For one liter of juice you’re saving nearly $18 with Super Juice, but what if you made 100 or even 1000 cocktails? Then we’re up to $40, or a whopping $400! Again, that’s without counting the labor costs of someone squeezing the limes.
Another significant impact we can make is on the environment. Spain, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey, were the biggest exporters of lemons and limes, with the US being by far the biggest importer. That’s a lot of transport for your Daiquris, but we’ve now seen by how much we can decrease our consumption of these citrus fruits with just a package of the acids that are naturally present in these same fruits.
That can even have a positive effect on the soil, as acidic waste decreases the availability of plant nutrients, and increases the availability of some elements to toxic levels. Add on top that the citric acid you’ll find at your stores is produced by feeding simple carbohydrates, or sugar, to a fungal microbe. The resulting fermented compound is then processed before it’s crystalised and dried into what we use for drinks, baking, canning, and so on.
And by using just citric and malic acids, and not other acids present in limes and lemos, which are much more susceptible to oxidation, we also increase the shelf life. Fresh lime juice will change flavor within the hour by some sources and up to 24 hours by others, but Super Juice will taste just as good for at least a week. By keeping the Super Juice fresh for longer you’re not wasting fresh limes, saving you time, energy, money, and of course the environment.
Another benefit we get from the prolonged shelf life is the option to play around with our citrus juice, which hasn’t been explored enough in my opinion. Let’s say you’re clarifying your Super Juice, or you’re adding extra flavors and spices to it - it won’t be good for just that night, like it would with fresh citrus juice. So that’s exactly what we’ll do today, for two cocktails with some premium tequila!
Both will encapsulate the manifesto of Mijenta Echo Verde, focusing on making small changes that collectively create a significant impact in the bar industry. For Mijenta everything begins with quality, and their award-winning, additive-free, sustainable tequila celebrates the traditions of Mexican culture. It is distilled exclusively using fully mature Blue Weber agave from the highlands of Jalisco. From start to finish, it’s crafted with passion and rooted in tradition.
Now for the cocktails let’s start with a Flavored & Spiced Lime Super Juice for a refreshing tequila highball cocktail.
Spiced Lime Super Juice
● 400g Lime Super Juice
● 0.8g Peppermint Tea
● 0.4g Anise Seeds
Start by adding the Super Juice and spices into a blender, but to get the most flavor out of them I’ll crush them first with a mortar and pestle. Once you have everything in the blender, close it up and blend on high speed for at least 30 seconds, then strain the Spiced Super Juice through a cloth filter. Shouldn’t take too long and it’ll be ready to bottle, so right after add a label and let’s get to making the Matcha Syrup.
Matcha Syrup
● 100g Hot Water
● 200g White Sugar
● 1g Matcha Powder
Once I’ve boiled some water I’m adding it to a blender along with the sugar. One of the faster ways to make rich syrup is to blend it. That will dissolve the sugar much faster than stirring it, but for now I’ll leave it to cool a bit before we add matcha tea powder. I think this way it’ll keep a bright green color for longer, so once our syrup has cooled down, blend with the matcha powder once again and we’re ready to make what I’m calling the After 5 Bunny - because it’s always 5 o’clock somewhere!
Starting with the base, we’ll use Mijenta Blanco, but we’ll also need this Spiced Lime Super Juice, Matcha Syrup, Cacao Liqueur or Creme de Cacao, saline solution, and soda water.
After 5 Bunny
● 60mL · 2oz Mijenta Blanco Tequila
● 22.5mL · 0.75oz Spiced Lime Super Juice
● 15mL · 0.5oz Matcha Syrup
● 7.5mL · 0.25oz White Creme de Cacao
● Chilled Soda Water
● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution
Serve it in your choice of a highball or high tumbler glass, just make sure it’s nicely chilled. I also like to chill the shaker to ensure you’re not overdiluting your drink from the ice chilling the shaker, instead of your drink as you shake it. Into a smaller tin we’ll start by adding our ingredients, plenty of ice, then give it a good shake. Double strain over the ice and finish off the cocktail by topping it up with chilled soda water. Give everything a quick turn with a bar spoon, and garnish with a sprig of mint. Cheers!
The green color hints towards herbal flavors and has a minty fresh aroma. It quickly turns into a kind of an after-eight party on your palate as chocolate and mint play well together. But it’s still a light, refreshing cocktail with Mijenta Blanco as the main ingredient, which still lets other players show their flavors. A wonderful highball packed with flavors. Now let’s move onto the second cocktail of the day, which I’m calling Dia de Mijentas.
The base of this riff on the Corpse Reviver no.4 will be Mijenta Reposado, alongside Rosé Wine Aperitif, Clarified Orange Super Juice, Agave Syrup, rose water, saline solution, and absinthe in a spray bottle. My Orange Super Juice recipe is acid-adjusted to match the acidity of lemon or lime juice, and if you want to make it at home check out the Mijenta Calculators for the exact amount of acids and water. Clarified juice will also mean there’s no need to shake the cocktail, so we end up with a clear drink.
Here’s how to clarify super juice with agar agar.
Clarified Orange Super Juice
● 300mL · 10oz Orange Super Juice
● 0.6g Agar Agar
This process works for any type of citrus juice, super or freshly squeezed. I’ll first measure out 2.5oz or 75ml of the juice to hydrate the agar agar. So add both to a saucepan while stirring, then bring the mixture up to a simmer. Once done, take it off the heat and add the rest of the Super Juice, all that while you keep stirring. When everything is completely mixed it’s time to chill the Super Juice agar mixture using an ice bath or the freezer.
You should see a soft gel forming, which you can break apart lightly with a whisk, to make the straining a bit easier and faster. I’ll use a coffee filter, but a cloth filter would be a faster option for bigger batches. With that we’re ready to make Dia de Mijentas.
Dia de Mijentas
● 30mL · 1oz Mijenta Reposado Tequila
● 22.5mL · 0.75oz Rosé Wine Aperitif
● 22.5mL · 0.75oz Clarified Orange Super Juice
● 15mL · 0.5oz Agave Syrup
● 1 drop Rose Water
● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution
● Absinthe Spray
We won’t be shaking the cocktail, but throwing it, so add your ice into the small shaker tin this time, and the ingredients will go into the larger one. Now for the chilling and diluting the cocktail. Add the hawthorne strainer into the shaker tin with ice, drain the water, then pour in the cocktail over the ice and drop it back into the empty shaker tin. Repeat this process for about 6-8 times, extending the distance between the shakers as you go.
You’ll notice the bottom shaker getting colder and the amount of the liquid increase as the ice chills and dilutes our cocktail, but the throwing motion also aerates the cocktail. Then grab a chilled Nick & Nora glass from the freezer and before we pour in the cocktail we’ll add the last ingredient - a spray of absinthe to coat the glass. If you don’t have a spray bottle just add a small amount of absinthe, swirl it around the entire glass and dump it out.
Then pour in the cocktail, cut a small circle of orange peel, express the essential oils over the glass and place it on the cocktail - wonderful! This cocktail has a sweet orange and floral aroma. Both of these highlight the Mijenta Reposado tequila, which gives the cocktail a strong foundation and character. The rosé aperitif connects the dots for all the ingredients and adds a light pink color that matches the taste. As the name suggests, any day you’ll drink this will be a day of celebration!
With that we’ve reached the Bottom of The Glass. If you liked the sustainable and cheaper part about making Super Juice, you’ll also love the fact that you can use the leftovers from making super juice for further ingredients or garnishes. There’s still plenty of flavor there, so you can dehydrate and crush them, mix with salt and rim your Margaritas with them, or add more water and sugar and make an easy refreshing soda.
But my favorite thing is the fast and easy homemade lime-, lemon-, or orange-cello, like we did here. Thanks for watching and keep an eye out for more episodes with sustainable cocktails, by using sustainable techniques, sustainable mixers, and sustainable tequila. Cheers, Friends of Cocktails!