Peanut Free Cherry Lime Soda

Total time30 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time5 min

4.5

(14)

Tart lime, sweet cherries, and a rush of bubbles make this homemade soda feel like something you'd pay way too much for at a fancy café — except you made it yourself in about 20 minutes. The cherry syrup is the real star here: fresh or frozen cherries are simmered down with honey and water until the liquid turns a gorgeous deep ruby, then strained into a silky, jewel-toned concentrate. A squeeze of fresh lime juice cuts through the sweetness with just the right amount of brightness, and chilled sparkling water brings the whole thing to life. Store-bought flavored sodas can be a minefield of vague "natural flavors" and shared production lines, so making your own from whole, simple ingredients is a genuinely satisfying workaround. Pouring the sparkling water slowly down the side of the glass keeps every sip properly fizzy, which is a small but very satisfying detail. Garnish with a lime wedge and a couple of fresh cherries and it looks almost too pretty to drink — almost.

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Ingredients

2 servings

For the cherry syrup

1 cup fresh or frozen sweet cherries, pitted
¼ cup water
2 tbsp honey

For serving

3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
1 ½ cups sparkling water, chilled
1 cup ice cubes
2 lime wedges (optional)
4 fresh cherries, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1
Combine the pitted cherries, water, and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and pressing the cherries gently with a spoon, until the cherries have softened and released their juice and the liquid is a deep ruby color, about 5 minutes.
2
Pour the cherry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a small bowl or measuring cup, pressing the solids firmly to extract as much syrup as possible. Discard the solids. Let the cherry syrup cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

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