Refreshing Cherry Limeade

I don’t know if things have been heating up where you live, but around here, it’s been 90 degrees lately, which means it’s about time to start making some refreshing summer drinks!

This recipe happens to be non-alcoholic, but if you wanted to add some of your favorite clear liquor… I certainly won’t stop ya 😉

There are a lot of cherry limeade recipes out there, but most of them use super sweet maraschino cherries and lemon lime soda.

I’m not knocking those, because that drink is definitely delicious! But I really like the slightly sweet, slightly tart version I’m sharing here today.

My version uses tart cherry juice, frozen cherries, and lime flavored sparkling water. However, I’ve detailed how to make this drink using the traditional maraschino cherries and soda down in the “variations of this recipe” section below.

How to make cherry limeade?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Add cherries to pitcher. I really prefer using frozen cherries since they’re already pitted, nice and soft, and give off some of their juice as they sit in your glass.
2. Make juice mixture. You’re not really cooking the juices and sugar, the heat just helps the sugar dissolve.
3. Add juice mixture to pitcher. I try to wait a few minutes for the juice to cool a bit.
4. Pour in sparkling water. Go slow, it’ll fizz up.
5. Stir and add lime slices if you’d like.

Variations of this recipe

• Maraschino cherries – instead of frozen tart cherries, you can use maraschino cherries and the cherry juice from the jar. You’ll want to reduce the amount of sugar in the juice mixture since the maraschino cherry juice is plenty sweet.
• Lemon lime soda – you can use lemon lime soda, like Sprite, instead of the lime sparkling water. You’ll want to reduce the amount of sugar in the cherry juice mixture (or omit it completely), since the soda has plenty of sugar.
• Alcoholic – feel free to add any clear liquor you’d like to this drink. We prefer tequila, vodka, or light rum.
• Fresh cherries – when fresh cherries are in season, feel free to use those instead of the frozen variety. Just make sure to pit them, and since they’re not very soft, you’ll want to add them to the saucepan with the juices and cook for a while to soften them up.

Making cherry limeade ahead of time

If you would like to make this drink ahead of time you can make the lime, cherry juice and sugar mixture, then store in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

You can add the cherries if you’d like, or keep them frozen until you’re ready to serve, either way is fine. Add the sparkling water just before serving.

Storage

Leftover cherry limeade should be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Be aware though, the drink will go flat, but will still taste delicious!

To liven it back up, pour some of the drink into a glass, then top with more sparkling water or a splash of lemon lime soda.