I am trying to prepare a ginger lime (basil) drink mixer.  It will be mixed with Whiskey the day of the event.    Is it better to prepare a limeade via steeping or a syrup via cooking?  Will the acid in the limes dissolve the ginger and basil over time (i.e. would it ruin the appearance / would I be able to filter them out)?    Will either of them last two weeks until the event?  I plan to keep them in a sealed jar in the fridge.  Does anyone have any advice on proportions? 
Butter traditionally has salt in it as a preservative, mainly to stop bacterial growth on the residual whey, and to slow fat rancidity  Modern butter has a much lower amount of salt than is required for shelf storage in the pre-electric era. Now we have refrigerators, salt is not required at such a high level  Butter with no salt has nearly half of the shelf life of modern salted butter  Processed sugar is a modern ingredient, and therefore there is no culture in having it in butter.   Sweet yoghurt and milk are all "new" inventions  Using salt as a preservative is as old as recorded history. Many cultures used salt to preserve fruits, as well as meats and vegetables 