Description
Make your own cherry limeade from scratch with fresh cherries and limes. You won’t believe the flavor–it’s the most refreshing drink for a summer day!
Ingredients
Scale
For The Cherry Limeade:
- 2 cups fresh cherries, washed & pitted*
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
- 3 cups cold water
- 3-4 cups ice
- Optional for Sonic Copycat Cherry Limeade: 2-3 cups Sprite (or other lemon-lime soda)
Optional Garnish:
- Fresh mint leaves
- Lime slices, wedges, or wheels
- Fresh cherries
Instructions
- Make The Cherry Syrup. In a medium saucepan, combine pitted cherries, sugar, and 1 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook 15-20 minutes to soften the cherries and infuse the syrup. Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup steep about 20 minutes. Strain the cherry syrup through a fine mesh sieve.
- Combine. Add strained cherry syrup to a large pitcher along with the lime juice. Stir to combine well. Add cold water. Chill until ready to serve.
- Add Ice. When you’re ready to serve the limeade, add 3-4 cups ice & your favorite garnishes.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy cold and store leftover cherry limeade in the fridge 3-4 days.
Notes
- Ice. I make our cherry limeade on the strong side, since I plan to dilute it with ice. Don’t skimp on the ice!
- Cherries. I usually use sweet cherries. You *can* make this with frozen cherries, if you prefer, which can save you the pitting step!
- Sonic Cherry Limeade Copycat Recipe: Pour in 2-3 cups lemon-lime soda (like Sprite) when you add the ice. (Try it with pebble ice for an extra authentic touch!)
- Mint. My favorite variation is to add about 1/2 cup fresh mint along with the cherries to the simple syrup. The cherry + mint + lime combination is delicious!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Drink
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
