Coronas and limes go together like peanut butter and jelly, burgers and fries, and tomatoes and olive oil — you get the idea. But have you ever caught yourself wondering why? On any given sunny afternoon, Mexican lagers and citrus fruits make up a sum far greater than their respective parts. That much is no mystery. But when it comes to the meet cute that first brought Corona and lime together, there are a few different origin stories out there.
One theory behind the love story that is Corona and lime is that the lime acts as a rust remover and sterilizer. Therefore, the lime was originally added to clean the beer bottle’s glass rim after removing the metal cap. Another theory is that lime was meant to repel bugs and deodorize the beer. After being stored in clear glass, the beverage could develop an off smell if left out in the sun, as these summer favorites so often are. While none of these stories are all that romantic, the third (and likely most accurate) possibility of how Corona first met lime is even less so.
Odds are that a bartender was the first person to serve Corona and lime together as a way to market the popular Mexican beer, creating a trend that began in 1981 and has since withstood the test of time. There isn’t much evidence to support this claim either, however, so take it with a grain of salt — or, in this case, perhaps a Tajín rim.
What does the lime on a Corona actually do?
After all that, you may still be wondering what the lime on your Corona actually does, aside from adding a bright, refreshing citrus flavor to your ice-cold lager, of course. While the Corona and lime story is most likely just a product of clever marketing, some of the story threads do provide some context as to the lime’s practical purpose. Corona first began brewing in Mexico in 1925, where the country’s water has long been known to carry illness-causing bacteria. Lime, being high in acidity, does, in turn, work as a natural and flavorful sterilizer should that be a cause for concern. For that same reason, it also doubles as a natural bug repellent and deodorizer too.
Knowing Coronas are often consumed outside during the warm-and-buggy season, these facts may come in useful when enjoying the beer this summer. The same thing is true should you leave your Coronas out in the sun for too long or grab a bottle from a half-melted cooler of ice made from tap water. As it turns out, the lime on your Corona serves a purpose beyond tasting good, but even without knowing all of this, you’d likely have paired them together anyway. If anything, you can use this knowledge as a conversation starter over a cold Corona with lime and one of these chef-recommended food pairings.
