Garnishes

Lime

A lime is mostly juice under a thin skin, and the cut decides what the fruit does on the glass. A wedge is an eighth of the fruit, cut lengthways for the drinker to squeeze; a wheel is a round about 5mm thick for the rim or the ice; a twist is a wide strip of green zest expressed for its oil. Whole limes keep up to a fortnight chilled, and cut lime only the session.

Quick Facts

Legal categoryFood

Flavour Strengthmedium

Our keeping timeWhole: one to two weeks refrigerated. Cut: the session, under a damp cloth; twists at once.

Storage

Whole limes in the fridge, out at room temperature for a while before cutting wedges. Cut lime under a damp cloth, used within the session; twists and discs cut to order.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Lime

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

Lime zestSharp acidGreen

Tasting Notes

Sharp, green acid in the juice and a fragrant, slightly bitter oil in the thin skin. Fades and browns quickly once cut.

A lime is mostly juice under a thin skin

Lime skin is thinner than lemon or orange skin and carries less oil, and the cut flesh browns sooner. Both facts shape how the fruit is used: limes are cut late, cut for juice more often than for peel, and given a wider strip when a twist is wanted. The juice for the shaker is its own ingredient, fresh lime juice.

Choose limes that are glossy, heavy for their size and give slightly when pressed. A hard, light lime has dried inside and gives little from a wedge.

Wedge, wheel or twist decides who finishes the drink

A wedge on the rim leaves the last adjustment to the drinker, which suits a highball built in the glass. A wheel says the acid has already been measured. A twist or a disc adds aroma to a drink that wants no more sourness.

The lime cuts and where each belongs

Wedge

How it is cut: One eighth, lengthways, notched
What it does: Juice and some oil when squeezed; wets a rim for salt
Holds once cut: The session, under a damp cloth
In our recipes: Gin and Tonic, Cape Codder, Dark ’n’ Stormy, Tequila Ceremony

Wheel

How it is cut: A round about 5mm thick from the middle
What it does: Colour on the rim, or a lid on the ice
Holds once cut: About an hour
In our recipes: Daiquiri, Tommy’s Margarita, Mojito, Grateful Dead

Twist

How it is cut: A wide strip of green zest, no pith
What it does: Sharp oil on the surface, no acid
Holds once cut: Cut to order
In our recipes: Last Word, Left Bank Martini

Disc

How it is cut: A coin sliced from the side, mostly peel
What it does: Oil and a little juice, squeezed in
Holds once cut: Cut to order
In our recipes: Ti’ Punch

Cut	How it is cut	What it does	Holds once cut	In our recipes
Wedge	One eighth, lengthways, notched	Juice and some oil when squeezed; wets a rim for salt	The session, under a damp cloth	Gin and Tonic, Cape Codder, Dark ’n’ Stormy, Tequila Ceremony
Wheel	A round about 5mm thick from the middle	Colour on the rim, or a lid on the ice	About an hour	Daiquiri, Tommy’s Margarita, Mojito, Grateful Dead
Twist	A wide strip of green zest, no pith	Sharp oil on the surface, no acid	Cut to order	Last Word, Left Bank Martini
Disc	A coin sliced from the side, mostly peel	Oil and a little juice, squeezed in	Cut to order	Ti’ Punch

Wedges are cut in eighths and squeezed before they drop

Halve the lime lengthways, halve each half, then cut each quarter once more. Eight wedges come from a standard fruit; quarters are clumsy on a rim and sixteenths are too thin to squeeze. A shallow notch across the flesh lets each one grip the glass.

A lime at room temperature tends to give more juice than one straight from the fridge. Squeezed over the drink, the flexing skin adds a little oil with the juice; dropped in afterwards, the wedge keeps working. In the Tequila Ceremony the wedge is bitten straight after the shot.

A wedge also wets a rim for salt. The Cantaritos and the Grand Margarita run one round half the outside of the glass before it goes into the salt; the Margarita uses the spent half of a squeezed lime the same way.

Wheels sit on the rim or lie on the ice

Cut wheels across the middle at about 5mm, thick enough to hold their shape and thin enough to look deliberate. A single slit to the middle lets a wheel straddle the rim of a tall glass.

On a drink served over crushed ice the wheel can lie flat on top instead, holding the aroma under it, with the straw beside it. The Daiquiri floats one on the surface of the coupe. It goes on last either way, after the ice and the pour.

Twists are cut wide and discs cut from the side

Because the skin is thin and the oil layer small, a strip of lime the width of a lemon twist gives noticeably less. Take the full width of the side of the fruit, colour only, and express it skin side down straight away. The Last Word and the Left Bank Martini are finished this way.

The Ti’ Punch uses a fourth cut: a small round shaved off one side of the fruit, largely skin, squeezed over the glass and dropped in. It perfumes the rhum agricole more than it sours it.

Using it

Using Lime

Usage

Wedges on highballs built in the glass, such as the Gin and Tonic, the Cape Codder and the Dark ’n’ Stormy, where the drinker squeezes and drops. Wheels on measured drinks such as the Daiquiri and Tommy’s Margarita. Twists on a few stirred drinks, the Last Word and the Left Bank Martini among them.

Top Tips

Cut eighths for wedges: enough juice to matter and small enough to drop in.
Cut a lime twist wider than a lemon one. The skin is thinner and holds less oil.
Cut lime only as the round is being made. A dry lime edge shows on the rim before anyone tastes the drink.

Possible Substitutions

Lemon: a lemon wedge or wheel: softer and less green

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is a lime wedge?

An eighth of a lime, cut lengthways from end to end and notched to grip the rim. It is the garnish meant to be squeezed: the drinker presses it over the glass, then drops it in, so the wedge hands them the final say on how sharp the drink is.

How do you cut lime wedges?

Halve the lime lengthways, halve each piece again, then cut each quarter once more for eight wedges. Trim the white core from the centre edge, flick out any seeds and make a small cut across the flesh so the wedge grips the rim instead of sliding off.

What is a lime wheel?

A round slice cut across the middle of a lime, about 5mm thick, so the whole cross-section of the fruit shows. It is a display garnish, set on the rim with one cut to the centre or floated on the drink, and does nothing for the flavour until squeezed.

Should I use a lime wheel or a lime wedge?

A wedge for drinks built in the glass that the drinker finishes to taste, such as a Gin and Tonic or a Whisky and Cola. A wheel for drinks whose juice was measured into the shaker, such as a Daiquiri or a Margarita, where an extra squeeze would unbalance them.

What is a lime twist?

A wide strip of lime zest, pared off with no white attached, then squeezed over the glass so the oil coats the top of the drink. It adds a sharp, green aroma and no acid. Cut it wider than a lemon twist, since lime skin is thinner and holds less oil.

How many wedges do you get from one lime?

Eight from a standard lime cut lengthways, which covers six or seven drinks once the ragged end pieces are discarded. Quarters are too large for most rims and give more juice than a highball wants; sixteenths dry out and give almost nothing.

How long do cut limes keep?

For the session. Cut lime dries at the exposed edges within a couple of hours and browns sooner than lemon or orange. Keep cut wedges and wheels under a damp cloth in the fridge, and cut twists only when the drink is ready for them.

What is the lime disc in a Ti’ Punch?

A thin coin taken off the flank of the lime, nearly all skin with a sliver of flesh. It is squeezed over the glass and dropped in before the rhum and cane syrup, so it perfumes the drink with oil more than it sours it. Cut it as the drink is made.

Make something

Made with Lime

Often Used With

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 10 October 2026

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