Cherry Limeade – Quick and Fresh! Learn how to make your own version of that Sonic Drive In favorite at home!
Hey friends! I’m going to be quick to get to this summer favorite, Cherry Limeade, today because this is our 20th wedding anniversary and we’ve got a fun afternoon/evening planned.
Christy, what is your idea of a fun afternoon/evening? Well, I’m glad you asked! You see, I don’t really like going out. It’s just not my thing. A cave and a book and I’m happy for a good ten years or so. But 20th anniversaries only come along once in a scarce lifetime so my husband (who, bless his heart, does like to go out) said to think of whatever I’d like to do and we would do it. With that kind of free reign I thought about what my perfect evening would be like, and that is how it became an afternoon/evening outing because my perfect evening ends somewhere in the 7-8:00 pm vicinity with an early bedtime.
So we are leaving this afternoon to go grab tacos at my favorite local place because I don’t really like going to restaurants unless I have to (it’s a drive through, we get to eat in the car!) and then we are catching a movie I want to see – which thrills my husband because I don’t think I’ve been to a movie theater in at least 5 years – and then we are going through another drive through for coffee, then home.
And this is what gets me excited. It’s a near perfect evening in my book. What is your perfect evening like? I’d like to hear about it in the comments on this post! It’s fun to think of how very different we all are, but we still share the common love of family, friends, and food! Let’s make some Limeades!
You’ll need: Maraschino Cherries, Juice from the cherries*, Sprite*, Fresh Limes.
*I like to purchase the individual cans of Sprite so it has lots of fizz. I usually use Sprite Zero when making this for myself.
**You can also use a little bit of grenadine in place of the cherry juice. It’s purchased on the aisle that has mixed drinks and such on it (alcohol) but it has no alcohol in it and we use it for one of our other favorite family friendly drinks, the Tropical Pink.
- Cut one lime into round thin slices, these will go in the bottom of your glass. Cut the other lime into wedges.
- Place a round lime slice and a couple of cherries in the bottom of each glass.
- Fill your glass with ice and then add Sprite, squeeze one wedge of lime into glass, then add about 2 tablespoons of cherry juice or Grenadine. Give it a very gentle stir and you’re ready to go!
Enjoy your refreshing drink!
Ingredients
- Maraschino Cherries with Juice* Can also use grenadine in place of cherry juice
- Sprite
- 2 Limes
- Ice
Instructions
- Cut each lime into wedges or slices (I slice one in round slices and one in wedges, see photo steps above).
- Place one bit of lime in bottom of each glass along with 2-3 cherries.
- Fill glass with ice. Add Sprite to fill, along with about 2 tablespoons cherry juice or grenadine, and a squeeze of a lime wedge. Stir lightly and enjoy!
Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance.
~Rabindranath Tagore (yes, I was able to spell that 🙂 )
Yum 
Happy Anniversary, Christy! We just celebrated our 25th. Thank you for all your wonderful inspirational stories and yummy recipes. I always look forward to reading all your posts. May God bless you both and may you have many more anniversaries to come.
Thank you so much!!!!!!! This is the sweetest comment and you just made my heart smile 🙂
Happy 20th Anniversary, Christy!! Wishing you & your husband many more wonderful years together! I really appreciate all the delicious recipes you share and all the time you spend in doing so! Thank you!
Christy: Would this work with still water? My best friend had bariatric surgery in January and has lost over 100 pounds. She loves Sonic Cherry-Limeade, and now can’t have them because of the fizz. She won’t ever be allowed carbonated sodas or straws again. She wants to come up with a recipe for Sonic’s Cherry Limeade.
I’m thinking it would work, but you might need more cherry juice/grenadine/limes, to offset the water, unless you start with some flavored water.
It would most definitely work. You might want to add a bit more lime for flavor pop like you suggested but I think it will be fine 🙂
Maybe she could pour Sprite Zero into a glass and leave it overnight and let it get flat. Then mix the cherry juice and limes with it and put it over ice. That way she’d still have the Sprite flavor to go along with the cherries and lime.
that is a brilliant idea 🙂
We go to a dinner and a movie at our local Warren movie theater! They have a great dinner menu plus you can have pop corn also!!
OOH that sounds wonderful!!
Happy 20th Anniversary, Christy!! Wishing you & your husband many more wonderful years together! I really appreciate all the delicious recipes you share and all the time you spend in doing so! Thank you!
Thank you so much Deb!!
Happy anniversary, Christie!! I love going out to eat but my husband can take it or leave it. We used to go every Friday night after work but now due to finances and him just plain burning out we’ll go out to eat maybe once a month. We do, however, always go out on our wedding anniversary and also on our engagement anniversary which are six months apart so they are both something to look forward to. I’m like you though, I don’t like staying out late and I also rarely go to the movies. If I do go, I wait until the movie is almost out of the theaters because by that time you won’t have to deal with crowds.
🙂 I like the way you think Aileen, thank you for sharing that movie tip!!!
We have been married for 46 years. Wish you and your husband the very best life has to offer. Love your post and your recipes. Enjoy your outing.
I looooove Cherry Limeades, so thanks for this recipe. I also love Shirley Temples and Roy Rogers (or pretty much anything that has either grenadine or cherry juice in it). My kids think it’s humorous that when we go out to eat they (ages 12, 11, and 10) usually order something reasonable like a Coke or Sweet Tea, while I almost always order a Roy Rogers with extra cherries. I am 49, and I don’t drink alcohol, so let me have my vice ! 🙂
I love it!!!
Happy Anniversary Christy to you and your Hubby! Wishing you both many, many more Bless Years Together. Love, that you enjoy staying home and not eating out. I am the same way. Love all your Precious stories about you recipes and what they mean to you. You are Truly A Blessing to All of us that Love You!! Enjoy your afternoon and evening with your Sweetie!
Thank you so much for such sweet words Cheryl! Hugs and blessings to you!!!
Happy 20th Anniversary to you both enjoy your day to the fullest. I enjoy all of your recipes and thank you for sharing. Have a wonderful evening and God Bless lmxxx
Thank you so much, may God bless you as well!!!
Happy Anniversary ! Many more to come for y’all!
P.s. when are you coming back to New Orleans! My daughter and I saw you at the bookstore a few years ago. So enjoyed talking with you. That was after you broke your legs and you recovered.
Love all your recipes, like the Whoa Horsey salad!
Thank you Mary Ann!!! Right now I have been staying close to home, but you never know when that might change 🙂
Happy 20th Anniversary! May you be blessed with many more to share and celebrate together! I made your old fashioned sticky chicken for supper last night! My husbamd’s favorite! Love reading all your Southern Plate stories and recipes! Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you so much Martha, I hope you have a blessed day!!!
Happy 20th Anniversary Christy! I love your posts! I made a Cherry Limeade yesterday the exact same way! I can’t believe how much it tastes like Sonics! Last week I stopped at sonic & bought 2 small for 7.25, I couldn’t believe how expensive they were! So I decided to try & duplicate their recipe myself, and I can’t believe it’s the same as yours! Thank you for always having such great ideas, I hope you had a great night out with your husband!
Love Joan xoxo May God Bless you both for many more years
Thank you so much JoAn!!! As they say, great minds think alike 🙂
Yum, I am all about the lime flavor and using diet Sprite makes this do-able for me. Happy Anniversary, what a milestone and definitely a day to kick it up a little. Sonic is new to our area here in New England so I have never tried the original, but I love a lime rickey and love lemonade so I am pretty sure I will be making this drink. I had to chuckle at your plans as I am a movie-goer fan, I just don’t think seeing them at home on a small screen has the same impact. I take advantage of the cheaper prices that can be found by going to the first showing of the day or seeing any matinee. In our area, we also have a discounted day once a week. And, as for eating out, yes, please. I love the ambience of my favorite places, enjoying foods I would not make for myself and just the whole experience of “dining out”. Having food be eaten in the car, nope – I need a table at least! But, all your loyal fans will be hoping you and your husband have some quality time together on this special day.
I hope you get the chance to try it soon Paula!! If you ever do get to go to Sonic they do have a diet version available 🙂
We love cherry limeaid. I make a picture full when there’s a gathering. Use one cup of lime juice and a 10 ounce jar of cherries–juice and all . As much sweetener as you like. Add a two liter lemon lime at time of serving. I use diet drink in ours.
This looks so delicious for a summer day! I hope your anniversary was wonderful and everything you had hoped for. Wishing you and Ricky many more years of happiness! 🙂
Thank you Katie, we had a wonderful day and appreciate all of the well wishes!!
Your day sounds pretty close to perfect. However I’d probably add in a little browsing at a bookstore or other favorite store. I love movies, but usually go the weekend after it opens up. I love reading your recipes and have a made a few, wish cooking brought me the same joy as eating does! Like you it doesn’t take much to make me happy. Our first day back at work we had to do some ice breaker activity, which made me uncomfortable, as lots of people were quite the world travelers (first I don’t have that kind of money), so when they asked me to share I told them I didn’t have anything quite as impressive as what they shared so I didn’t. I am perfectly happy with short trips within the states.
We could be 2 peas in a pod Beeb. I can’t think of a better place to be than at home 🙂 .
Christy, I really enjoy your newsletter with the awesome recipes, Bible verses, quotes, and stories. Your recipes are the way I cook!! Thank you so much.
Thank you so much Jean, that means the world to me!!
You sound just like someone I know (me) about the cave and a good book and the drive thru. Hope you have many more Happy Anniversaries.
🙂 Thank you so much Aloma!!!
Sorry to be so late, but I hope you and Ricky had a WONDERFUL anniversary! Thanks so much for the cherry limeade recipe, they are my favorite!
Thank you so much Becky!!! I hope you enjoy them!!