This post may include affiliate links; see our disclosure policy.
The cherry lime rickey is a flavor-popping bubbly mocktail or cocktail! Serve it non-alcoholic, or add gin for a spiked variation.
Here’s a bright, beautiful drink that works as a cocktail or mocktail: the Cherry Lime Rickey! Something about the combination of cherries and lime is pure genius, where the tart of the citrus perfectly accentuates the sweet berry. So combining it into a homemade mocktail or cocktail? Well, it’s pretty darn perfect. Here you’ll take a lime rickey mocktail and add a cherry syrup to bring in that candy-colored flavor. Both versions went over very well over here!
Love cherry and lime? Try Cherry Limeade, too!
What’s a cherry lime rickey?
The rickey is a popular cocktail that’s often made as a mocktail! It’s a variation on the Gin Rickey, a highball cocktail invented in the 1890s — made with gin, soda water and lime juice. This drink rose to worldwide popularity, and is even mentioned in books, like the 1920s novel The Great Gatsby. The Lime Rickey spin on the gin rickey is often made as a mocktail: a bubbly drink with soda water and lime juice. But sometimes people add gin because…why not?
You can make this cherry lime rickey as a mocktail or add gin to make it a cocktail. Either way, it’s delicious. The sweet tart flavor and the perfect marriage of lime and cherry make it an irresistible concoction. One of my favorite things about this drink is that I can make a mocktail for my son and mix some gin for mine! Here’s what you need:
- Fresh lime juice
- Cherry syrup
- Soda water
- Gin (optional)
- Marashino cherries and lime wedges (for the garnish)
Where to find cherry syrup
You should be able to find cherry cocktail syrup at your local liquor store. Here are a few things to look for:
- If you can, look for natural flavors. Many cherry syrups are made with artificial red colors, so see if you can find a version with natural flavors.
- Cherry syrup does not equal grenadine! Grenadine is a popular cocktail syrup that people think is cherry, but it’s actually made of pomegranate. Try our homemade, all-natural grenadine!
- I have found a grenadine with natural cherry and pomegranate flavors. If you see something like this, it works too. You just want to make sure that the cherry flavor comes through!
How to make it
The cherry lime rickey is an excellent drink for entertaining because it looks so festive. The bright red against the yellow-green of the lime makes it look like a LaCroix can design (note the photo above: am I right?). You don’t need much to make this drink stand out, but here are a few tips:
- Use clear ice if you can. Clear ice is crystal clear, artisan-style ice that you can make at home and cut into large blocks. It makes it look like a drink from a fancy bar! A side benefit is that using a lot of clear ice makes for a super chilled drink — I tested this one with and without, and it just tastes better with clear ice!
- Don’t skimp on garnishes. The fun part about this drink is having at least 3 Maraschino cherries in your glass.
- Add a festive straw if you like! I like to use these striped paper straws.
Variation: try it with raspberry!
Love fruity rickey variations? Try the Raspberry Lime Rickey! It’s the same drink but with raspberry syrup instead. You can make homemade raspberry syrup in 10 minutes using fresh berries, or opt for store-bought. Either way, it’s a fun variation on the concept!
More great mocktail recipes
Love mocktails? We’ve got a great list of them for when you’re looking for non-alcoholic drinks! Here are a few of my top mocktail recipes:
- There’s nothing better than a Margarita Mocktail (this one has a secret ingredient!)
- Try a fruity Piña Colada Mocktail
- Opt for an Italian Soda
- Go for a minty Mojito Mocktail
- At brunch, opt for a Virgin Mary
- Or go for the most famous mocktail of all, the Shirley Temple
The perfect moments to serve this cocktail (or mocktail!)
The cherry lime rickey is sweet, tart, and delicious — as a cocktail or mocktail! It’s great for serving as a:
- Summer drink
- Brunch drink
- Afternoon drink
- Baby shower drink
- Cocktail hour drink (with gin)
Cherry Lime Rickey
The cherry lime rickey is a flavor-popping bubbly mocktail or cocktail! Serve it non-alcoholic, or add gin for a spiked variation.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: Mocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) fresh lime juice
- ½ ounce (1 tablespoon) cherry cocktail syrup*
- For a cocktail: 2 ounces gin (optional)
- 4 ounces (½ cup) soda water
- 3 Maraschino cherries
- For serving: Ice (try clear ice), lime wedges
Instructions
- Add the lime juice, optional gin, and syrup to highball glass and stir.
- Fill with ice and top with sparkling water.
- Garnish with lime wedges and Maraschino cherries.
Notes
*You can find cherry syrup at most liquor stores, grocery stores near the alcohol, or online. I found a grenadine syrup with natural cherry and pomegranate flavors, so that is also an option. (Grenadine is typically 100% pomegranate, so it’s not a natural substitute.)
I haven’t made this yet but sounds right. Growing up and visiting Oklahoma and Texas, we’d go to drugstores that still had fountains to order cherry limes, which are my all-time favorite drink. Fresh limes were good, too. These are drinks made with sparkling water. Cherry limeade and limeade are non-carbonated and totally different. Thank you for this recipe.
I love to hear that!