Rose's Lime Juice

This English creation is made with more than its name implies. Aside from fruit-juice concentrate, this venerable syrup includes high-fructose corn syrup, sodium metabisulfite, and Blue No. 1. Stocked by most bars and the world's few remaining soda fountains, Rose's is used in the States as an accent to cocktails, particularly the king of well drinks - the Gimlet. In the UK and its former colonies, you'll find it mixed with the likes of soda water, beer, the Brit's version of Kool-Aid, and of course gin.

During the late 18th century, Great Britain's Parliament decreed that all English ships must carry daily rations of limes to help ward off scurvy. Mr. Laughlan Rose, owner of a shipbuilding and provisioning company, had the foresight or the common sense to plan for the decision. Soon enough, he became the sole procurer of limes for Her Majesty's troops. Back then, Rose's shipped limes from Dominica in the West Indies to England for its juice. Nowadays, the label still reads "West India," but the fine print will tell you that the lime fruit concentrate hails from Mexico. Now owned by Cadbury Beverages, Rose's didn't hit the US until 1901 and can thank the Gimlet for its survival.