This Homemade Cherry Limeade is sweet with just enough tart! It’s easy to make, super refreshing and great to make ahead and take to barbecues or picnics!
Hiya everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. Today I’m sharing this recipe for Cherry Limeade and oh boy, it’s a keeper!!
I love making homemade lemonade and have made Strawberry, Blueberry and Mango in the past. It’s so easy to make homemade lemonade, so I thought… why not try limeade instead?
So, this Cherry Limeade was born. Just as easy as lemonade, but with the cherries it just creates this delicious, fruity, sweet and tart drink that is so addictive!
Before I explain how easy this is to make, boy have I been having a tough time recently. Well, my family has too. I like to think I’m someone who never gives up and will always fight for what is right, but I don’t know how much longer I can go on fighting. I did have some good news last night after a seriously crap day, but overall I’m just fed up.
Taking out the most major thing which I can’t talk in detail about because it’s in litigation, I’m just so fed up of manipulative liars making everything about them. I live my life by a very simple rule: if you don’t bother with me, I won’t bother with you. I just don’t have the energy these days for fake relationships.
If I visit and you ignore me, or answer the phone and chat away for 15 minutes ignoring your guests, or if you’re rude to my husband and you never bother with me the rest of the time, excuse me if I don’t go out of my way to rush over.
Also it’s not all about you. What about me? What about the chronic fatigue I have because of my arthritis. What about the horrific pain I’m in? We live 2 hours away and after an already long day, I’m not going to rush over and add another 2 hours to my day when I’m in agony and will fall asleep.
By all means, when we move and we’re only 25 minutes away, I’ll come over and be ignored as I can be home and resting in half an hour. But you lose even more respect when you then try and manipulate the situation and cause arguments.
I’m also an adult and can make my own mind up about people, I am not easily swayed or influenced by other people’s opinions on someone. I can see through people and work out their games very quickly.
On top of trying to move, trying to go through litigation, helping plan a hen do for a friend, planning her wedding cake, trying to get a handle on my pain and trying to cope with ever decreasing mobility, I just don’t have time for shitty people. Excuse me if I only choose to surround myself with positive, supportive people.
Feel better having got that off my chest. So, let’s talk about this Cherry Limeade. I would advise you get a cherry pitter device because it’s the best thing to ever grace my kitchen. I don’t know about you, but I hate pitting cherries by hand. It’s one of the worst jobs and you end up looking like you’ve killed someone.
A cherry pitter fires the stone out and then you can just slice and use. Brilliant!
All you need to do to make this limeade is make a simple syrup with the cherries added, sieve the mixture, add in lime juice, add water, mix it together, pop it in the fridge and then serve whenever you’re ready. You can use sparkling water if you want fizzy limeade, or still water if not. It’s great both ways.
That’s one thing I just love about homemade lemonade/limeade – you can make it still or sparkling! Sometimes I fancy lemonade/limeade, but don’t want it to be super fizzy. I love the rich sweetness of the cherries with the citrus of the limes, it’s a fantastic combination. You could switch out the limes and make lemonade as well. (I’ll add all these notes to the recipe!)
Homemade Cherry Limeade
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240ml) water
- 1 cup (200g) caster/white sugar
- 2 cups (300g) cherries, pitted and halved
- 1/3-1/2 cup (80-120ml) freshly squeezed lime juice, Try 80ml first, then add more if you want it more tart. I used 1/2 cup as I like very tart things!
- 4 cups (960ml) still or sparkling water
- Slices of lime, cherries, ice cubes to serve, optional
Instructions
- Place 1 cup of water and the sugar into a deep saucepan. Add in the halved cherries and place over a medium heat.
- Bring to a boil, stirring frequently and boil for 10-12 minutes until the cherries have softened and become mushy. You can also help them along with a masher, still boil the mixture for 10-12 minutes though to really get that cherry flavour into the simple syrup!
- Place the lime juice and still/sparkling water into a large jug. It needs to hold over 1 litre of mixture, I used my giant Le Creuset jug.
- After cooking for 10-12 minutes, take the cherry simple syrup off of the heat and place a sieve over your jug. Gently pour the cherry mixture through the sieve and then use the back of a spoon to gently squish every ounce of cherry juice from the cherries.
- Stir your cherry limeade, place it in the fridge to chill for two hours and then you're ready to serve. Throw some ice cubes into a mason jar, pour yourself a glass, pop in a lime slice and a cherry on the rim of the glass and enjoy!
- Homemade Cherry Limeade will keep covered in the fridge for 5 days. I store mine in a carafe as it fits in the door of the fridge. You can also double the recipe and place in a big drinks dispenser to take to picnics/barbecues! Don't add any ice until you're ready to serve.
- To make Cherry Lemonade, replace the lime juice with 1/2 cup (120ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- You can use still or sparkling water in this recipe – it depends on what you prefer.
