Citrus
The obvious consideration here is that the shape and size of fresh citrus varies greatly, and so therefore will the number of slices, twists, wheels and the like you can cut from an individual piece.
What you can’t see when you’re buying your fruit, is how much juice each piece will yield. Small ones can, in fact, be more juicy! So, when shopping for goods, add a couple of extra pieces to your basket to make sure you’ll have enough to mix with.
Berries
Berries vary so much in size, none more so than the humble strawberry!
This is why, in our recipes, we tend to use a liquid measurement of berries, because once you crush berries into a pulp or purée, how big the individual piece of fruit is becomes irrelevant. Meaning you can make delicious drinks EVERY time.
The more pieces of fruit you buy, the more the average size and weight will prove to be correct. As always, what we’re giving you here is a guide…not hard rule.
Greens
Herbs are usually sold by weight, in bundles or boxes of full sprigs. Don’t buy pre-picked leaves and of course…no mint sauce!
Like any fresh produce, there will be variables. However, an ugly lemon will still give you twists, and an old, beaten up orange will still give you delicious juice. However, a wilted bunch of mint with blackened leaves is not only useless for making drinks, but for garnishing too!
Therefore, be picky when buying, and if the quality’s not what you’d dream of, you will need to over buy so that you can find enough help leaves for making drinks and enough sprig tops for garnishing.
