Sesame Free Cherry Lime Soda

Total time30 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time5 min

4.5

(14)

Tart cherries, bright lime, and a cascade of bubbles make this homemade soda feel like something you'd pay way too much for at a fancy café. A quick simmer with honey draws out a deep ruby syrup that's sweet, fruity, and just a little jammy — nothing artificial, nothing mysterious. Sesame has a sneaky way of showing up in packaged drinks and flavored sodas through shared production lines, so making your own from scratch is genuinely the cleanest route. Every ingredient here is straightforward and easy to verify, which means you can sip without second-guessing the label. The fresh lime juice cuts through the sweetness beautifully, and pouring the sparkling water slowly down the side of the glass keeps every sip perfectly fizzy. Garnish with a few whole cherries and a lime wedge and it looks impressive enough to serve at a party, even though it comes together in under half an hour.

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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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