Rice Free Cherry Lime Soda

Total time30 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time5 min

4.5

(14)

That deep ruby cherry syrup is the star here — simmered down with just honey and a splash of water until it's glossy, fragrant, and packed with real fruit flavor. Combined with bright, zippy lime juice and a generous pour of sparkling water, the result is a refreshing homemade soda that tastes genuinely special. Rice shows up in surprising places — hidden in flavored syrups, bottled sodas, and even some sweeteners — so making your own from scratch is a smart way to stay in control of every ingredient. The honey-based syrup keeps things naturally sweet without any grain-derived additives, and the whole process is beautifully simple. Pouring the sparkling water slowly down the side of the glass is a small but satisfying trick that keeps every sip perfectly fizzy. Garnish with a few fresh cherries and a wedge of lime, and this looks as good as it tastes.

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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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