Beatles or Elvis? Lemonade or limeade?
I am a deeply committed limeade person. I don’t dislike lemonade, but it’s just… missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it’s too sour or maybe it’s missing the sort of floral note from the lime zest, but whatever it is, I love limeade.
And I love this limeade best of all…

Based almost entirely on this recipe from Red Bird Crafts, this is possibly the most perfect limeade ever. Why? Because it’s a syrup, which solves two limeade problems for me. 1. I like my limeade pretty strong but my husband and kid like it more dilute, so this allows us all to customize our limeade. 2. This makes a lot of limeade without taking up a huge amount of space in the fridge.
The recipe:
1 c. water
2 c. sugar
8-10 limes, juiced
zest from 2 limes
pinch of salt
Bring water, sugar and lime zest to a boil and let simmer for 5-7 minutes.
Strain, if desired. Add sugar solution to lime juice. Let cool.
Add 2-4 tablespoons syrup to 12 ounces ice water (or as desired).
A few notes on limes:
The juiciest limes have smooth, thin skins and are heavy for their size. If they’re a little yellow, that’s fine.
In order to get the most juice possible from a lime (or any citrus fruit), juice them with a wooden citrus reamer. Plastic and metal reamers slide around, but wooden ones have a nice amount of grip to get all the juice out.
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9 Comments
kickpleat
Mmmm, I love them both equally….limeade & lemonade, I mean. I’d take the Rolling Stones over the Beatles tho.
Christian
I’ve never tried to make my own lemon/limeade before, maybe I will. I like them in the Italian soft drinks that may be had at Trader Joe’s, by themselves or with a filtered vodka.
Kristen
KP: It was the first “annoying either/or question people put on Facebook posts” questions that sprang to mind. I’d pick The Who over both put together, personally.
XN: It’s really ridiculously easy and really pretty cheap. Limes are 10 for $1 here, and even using 2 cups of Whole Foods’ vegan sugar, the entire batch still works out to less than $2.50 for a good amount of syrup.
missourimom62
Yeah, I was just going to add – it’d be Beatles vs Rolling Stones. And if i were stuck on a desert island with one or the other, it’d be the Beatles.
missourimom62
Oh, plus? My sister wrote a cookbook in which she said it’s ALWAYS better to go with lime. It scares people. I agree.
Julia O'C
Thank you for this recipe! My syrup is cooling as I type this!
Kristen
Yay! How did it turn out?
donna
Key Limeade!
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