Sour is Sweet

There are a few staples you need to keep in your home bar to keep it well stocked. A selection of spirits and glassware is a good start, as well as a variety of juices and garnishes, but if you keep yourself stocked with one versatile ingredient, your options will be greatly expanded.

That ingredient? Sour mix.

There are plenty of pre-made sour mixes available to buy, but it's really just a mixture of approximately equal parts lemon and/or lime juice and simple syrup. If you're making a specific cocktail that you want perfected you might not want to generalize, but if a wide menu of options to satisfy many different tastes is what you're going for, then a supply of sour will be perfect.

What can you make with sour mix? The options are seemingly endless.

Add rum and ice and blend it all together and it's a Daiquiri! Serve them plain or add strawberries, bananas or mango for a fruity flair.

In a blender, combine sour mix, tequila, a little lime juice and Cointreau. Add ice and blend, or serve it on the rocks and you've got yourself a margarita. (I prefer mine on the rocks, with salt, please.)

Put away the blender, but keep out the sour mix. It goes beautifully with so many different types of liquor. Take out your shaker and lowball glasses and please your guests with Amaretto Sours, Midori Sours (which also happen to be delicious frozen) or Whiskey Sours.

Highball glasses get along well with Sour Mix as well: Long Island Iced Teas combine a powerful combination of Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila, Triple Sec, Sour mix and a splash of Coca-Cola. A Short Island Iced Tea is SoCo, Captain Morgan Rum, Sour Mix and Coca-Cola.

What are your favorite Sweet and Sour drinks?