As the countdown to New Year's Eve begins, many across the UK are preparing to celebrate with classic cocktails like Margaritas, Mojitos, and Gin and Tonics. These drinks, along with favourite dishes like tacos, rely heavily on one key ingredient: fresh lime. However, a chef from a popular South London restaurant has revealed that most home bartenders and cooks have been preparing this citrus fruit incorrectly their entire lives.
The Taquiza Technique: A Horizontal Slice for Better Juice
Head chef Sam Tarneberg of the Mexican restaurant Taquiza recently demonstrated the proper method in a viral TikTok video. He pointed out that the common approach is to place the lime vertically, with the stalk at the top, and slice down. "We don't do that," Tarneberg stated, before showing his restaurant's technique.
The correct method involves turning the lime on its side, making a clean horizontal cut through the centre. The lime is then sliced into thin wedges from this new orientation. The crucial difference is that the flat, fleshy part of the lime becomes the squeezing edge, rather than the pithy end.
Why This Method Makes a Dramatic Difference
According to Chef Tarneberg, the primary benefit of this cut is that it avoids the bitter white pith. "The main reason we do that is so you don't get any of the white pithy bit here," he explained, indicating the wedge. This results in purer, better-tasting juice for both drinks and food.
Furthermore, the technique offers superior control and less mess. "When you go to squeeze it, it doesn't go everywhere, it just goes where you want it to go," Tarneberg concluded. The horizontal cut severs the internal membranes more effectively, allowing significantly more juice to be released with less effort compared to the traditional vertical cut.
Social Media Reaction and Practical Benefits
The video sparked amazement and recognition from viewers. One TikTok user commented, "Raise your hand if you’ve been cutting limes wrong," while another admitted, "I always chop the wrong way and then stab it repeatedly to make the juice come out easier. A drop always seems to find my eyeball though."
The practical advantages were confirmed by someone with professional experience, who wrote: "This is how I would cut them at the taco shop I worked at... Kept doing it anyway because more juice and slices come out and the customers stopped complaining about our 'dry' limes." Another viewer noted the scientific reason, stating the method "cuts through all the natural wedge membranes and you get more of the juice out."
While some bars use the vertical cut for garnish aesthetics, the Taquiza method is functionally superior for extracting flavour. As one viewer perfectly summarised after seeing the clip: "Where was this video 30 min ago when I prepped six limes for a party." With New Year's Eve festivities on the horizon, this simple culinary hack could be the key to juicier tacos and perfectly balanced, splash-free cocktails for your 2026 celebrations.
