Lauchlan Rose (1829–1885), a
ship chandler in
Leith, began a process for preserving lime juice in 1865 and registered a patent on preserving lime and lemon juice in 1867. This would eventually become
Rose's lime juice (also known as a lime cordial) one of the first cordials (fruit squash/juice) sold in preserved liquid format (using lime juice, water and sugar). Other producers also began growing and selling lime juice commercially as a cordial, including Edmund Sturge through Evans and Sons of Liverpool. The use of lime cordial on both
merchant ships and naval vessels as a potential anti scorbutic agent (
vitamin C) was widely disseminated. From the 1920s onward in Europe, Australia and America, a number of producers marketed lime cordial as a social drink, especially with
gin and as a
Gimlet. ==Production==