When the weather heats up, there’s nothing better than mixing a refreshing summer drink, settling in, and enjoying the day.
Whether you’re lounging by the pool, heading to the beach, or packing a picnic for the park, it helps to have a few reliable summer drink recipes on hand.
Some of my favorite summer beverages began as spur-of-the-moment mixes that the whole family loved. One versatile base I keep on hand is a cherry simple syrup — it’s the foundation for homemade cherry soda, cherry limeade, or a crowd-pleasing party punch.
I love recipes that pull double or triple duty. A batch of cherry simple syrup will quickly turn into several different drinks — from a fizzy cherry soda to a bright cherry limeade or a pitcher of party punch.
Below is an easy Cherry Limeade recipe built around a homemade cherry simple syrup. It’s bright, fruity, and perfect for warm days.
How to make fresh Cherry Limeade
The first step is to make a cherry simple syrup. Simple syrups are, as the name suggests, easy to prepare and open up many drink possibilities: homemade sodas, flavored iced tea, lemonade concentrates, fruit lemonades, cocktails, and more.
Ingredients
- Fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries (3 cups)
- Granulated white sugar (1 ½ cups)
- Cold water (½ cup for syrup; plus additional water for limeade)
- One 12 oz can frozen limeade concentrate and three cans of water
Directions
Step 1: Make the cherry simple syrup. Combine 3 cups cherries, 1 ½ cups sugar, and ½ cup water in a medium pot. Heat over low heat until the sugar mostly dissolves.
Step 2: Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. As the mixture comes to a boil, mash the cherries against the side of the pot. Boil gently for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; the syrup will thicken slightly.
Step 3: Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Step 4: Strain the cooled mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing the solids to extract as much syrup as possible. Transfer the cherry simple syrup to a glass jar and refrigerate.
Step 5: Make the cherry limeade. In a 2-quart pitcher, add the limeade concentrate and three cans of water. Stir until the concentrate dissolves. Add 1 cup of the cherry simple syrup and stir to combine.
Step 6: Serve over ice and garnish with lime or lemon slices.
Helpful Summer Drink Tools
Pro Recipe Tips
- Store the cherry simple syrup in the refrigerator for up to 7–10 days. Use it to sweeten drinks as needed.
- Allow about 30–45 minutes for the syrup to make and cool before using it in drinks.
Love this recipe and want more like it?
- Homemade Black Cherry Soda
- Cherry Limeade Party Punch
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Cherry Limeade
Arlene Mobley – Flour On My Face
Ingredients
Cherry Simple Syrup
- 3 cups fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
Easy Cherry Limeade
- 12 oz can frozen limeade concentrate
- 3 cans water
Instructions
To make the Cherry Simple Syrup
- Put the cherries, sugar, and water into a medium pot.
- Heat on low until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
- Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
- Stir and crush the cherries against the side of the pot.
- Boil carefully for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it starts to boil over, reduce the heat slightly.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Strain solids through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and transfer the syrup to a jar. Refrigerate.
To make Sweet Cherry Limeade
- Pour the limeade concentrate into a 2-quart pitcher.
- Add three cans of water and stir until dissolved.
- Add 1 cup cherry syrup and stir to combine.
- Serve over ice.
Recipe Expert Tips
- This cherry simple syrup yields about 2 cups. It can be used for black cherry soda, party punch, or other fruit drinks.
- Allow roughly 30–45 minutes to make and cool the syrup before using it in drinks.
Nutrition
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