Cherry limeade, made with lemon-lime soda, cherry syrup, a splash of maraschino cherry juice, and fresh squeezed lime juice, is a refreshing and delicious summer drink.

Cherry Limeade

After that nice little cool spell we had, it sure has warmed up here in a hurry on the Coast. And with all that rain, it's left behind a lot of humidity. Already. Perfect weather for one or three of these. The homemade sno-cone syrup I shared recently is what I use to make these, and while I am not even going to try and say that this is a copycat of the beloved Sonic cherry limeade, personally, I like mine better. You can, of course, use any commercial syrup and I've left a few suggestions in the recipe.

Crush your ice, whether you use an ice shaver, a good blender, or simply pile a bunch of ice cubes in a clean dish towel and use a mallet with your own elbow grease - but definitely crush your ice. This classic is intended for crushed ice y'all.

I thought of increasing ingredients to post this as a whole pitcher, but frankly, I think a cherry limeade is meant to be made by the glass, like you would have gotten at the soda fountain from the local drugstore. It just seems right.

Photo: VirtualTourist.com

Oh my gosh does that photo bring back some memories. I swear that could be the soda fountain at the old Calvert-Carraway Drug Store on Pass Road. It even seems like the same floor. Sure makes me want one of those big, fat hamburgers they made, with a big pile of onion rings or fries on the side and a cherry coke.

Anyway... in all fairness, even though I think you ought to make these by the glass, I doubt you could stop at just one really. These are refreshing. Delicious. And downright addictive. I can't tell you how many of these I have made in the past couple of weeks, not only because the number is downright shameful and embarrassing, but mostly because I've lost count. They are just so darned tasty.

This mixture is based on a glass about 12 ounces in size, so if you're using a larger sized cup or glass - say like a big Tervis Tumbler - you'll want to make adjustments accordingly. Just keep your glass size in mind. I won't tell anybody if you sneak in a splash of vodka or rum for cocktail hour either.

Here's how to make a refreshing cherry limeade.

Recipe: Cherry Limeade

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 10 min |

Yield: 1 (12 oz.) serving

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Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons of maraschino cherry juice
• 1 ounce of grenadine, commercial or homemade cherry syrup, or a combination
• Lemon-lime soda (like 7-up, Sprite, Sierra Mist)
• Crushed ice
• 2 wedges of lime
• 1 maraschino cherry with stem, for garnish

Instructions

Add cherry juice and syrup to a 12-ounce glass and top with lemon-lime soda to fill glass about halfway; stir to blend. Fill glass with crushed ice, top off with additional soda, if needed, then squeeze two lime wedges in and drop them on top; add a maraschino cherry and straw.

Cook's Notes: I use Sierra Mist Natural. Good choices for commercial cherry syrups are DaVinci, Torani, Hawaiian Shaved, Juicy Juice and other snow cone brands of syrup. If you want to go for a pitcher, a 1/2 gallon is 64 ounces, or a little more than 5 of these 12-ounce glasses.

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©Deep South Dish

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Posted by Mary on May 8, 2012

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