Lime prices skyrocket: Mexican cuisine bears the brunt

A waiter at the Mexican restaurant Casa Oaxaca stands behind a margarita on May 5, 2014, in Washington, DC. Prices of limes have shot up, but the restaurant will not raise the price of its margarita lest it scare off customers.

Drug cartels are now eyeing control of lime production.

Sitting in a Mexican bar in the US capital, Maria complained that “using lemon instead of lime in a margarita is like using onions instead of garlic”.