Homemade Rose's Lime Juice (Lime Cordial)

Rose's Lime Juice is difficult to find and prohibitively expensive where I live. Internet to the rescue! Here's a recipe by Maria J. on Chowhound. I've posted the recipe exactly as written, but I never add the drop of food coloring. For some reason, it always turns my cordial a bright turquoise color... Use this anywhere you would use Rose's Lime Juice. We especially love our Gimlets!

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Yields: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 24  limes
• 1  cup sugar (approx.)
• 1  drop  blue food coloring (optional)

Directions

1. Measurements are just approximate, read all instructions first to determine what you might need.
2. Wash the limes VERY thoroughly, then remove zest from ten of them using a vegetable peeler. Avoid the white, bitter pith. Set aside.
3. Squeeze enough limes to make 16 oz. (2 cups) juice. Place in a saucepan.
4. Bring the lime juice to a boil, reduce heat to medium and reduce the juice by half. Have a heatproof measuring cup on hand. When it looks close to half its former volume, pour into the cup and check. Return to the boil if necessary. Reducing it too much is better than not enough.
5. Once it's reduced by half, measure the lime juice reduction again and add an equal amount of cane sugar, by volume (ie: using the same cup to measure). That is, if it's 8 FL oz of juice, add 8 FL oz sugar. Stir to dissolve.
6. Stir in the zest and allow to steep for 15 minutes, then strain.
7. OPTIONAL: Add a very small drop of BLUE food coloring and mix well! It is supposed to turn a pale green, but I've never been successful at this. Mine always turns a bright turquoise blue. YUCK! The food color is purely for aesthetic purposes but does not affect the taste. The “real” Rose’s Lime Juice uses the food coloring.
8. Pour into a sealable glass bottle and store in the refrigerator. Will keep indefinitely.
9. Note: you can make a grapefruit cordial the same way. Looks wonderful (red grapefruit), but the color vanishes in a cocktail. It tastes great by itself, or try a Paloma (tequila, grapefruit cordial, fresh lime and soda). Bottoms up….