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Sparkling Strawberry Limeade Recipe: Refreshing Summer Drink

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Happy first day of summer!

It’s the season of sticky heat, sunscreen, and long, languid afternoons. Time to spread a blanket beneath a shady tree with a good book, head to the pool, play catch, stomp through creeks, or enjoy an evening of backyard grilling. There will be hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, shrimp, chips, popsicles, and plenty of ice cream. But above all, summer means one thing for me: Strawberry Limeade.

This drink was inspired by my friend Melissa. When she hosted her birthday dinner recently, she served a strawberry lemonade that everyone raved about. I couldn’t make the party, but friends who attended came back with glowing descriptions of the evening—and the lemonade. Their stories had me craving the bright, fruity beverage the moment local strawberries showed up at the market.

On my way home with the first pile of New York berries, I daydreamed about that lemonade. At home I set up the blender, prepped the strawberries, measured sugar and water—and then discovered I was out of lemons. Luckily I had limes, and the result was strawberry limeade. It’s magnificent.

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Strawberry limeade is simply ripe strawberries pureed with fresh lime juice, sugar, and water, then chilled. It’s quick and uncomplicated, yet utterly transformative: like drinking strawberries through a lime-tinted straw. Bright, fruity, and intensely refreshing—this is summer in a glass.

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If you find juicy, freshly picked strawberries, don’t wait—make this today. Use lime or lemon as you prefer; both work beautifully. Below is the straightforward recipe that yields a crowd-pleasing pitcher of strawberry limeade.

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Strawberry Limeade

Rebecca Lindamood

Sweet strawberries pureed into homemade limeade and chilled make the ultimate refreshing summer beverage.

Ingredients

  

  • 1 pound ripe strawberries washed, hulled and quartered
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup fresh lime juice
  • up to 6 cups cold water

Optional garnish:

  • additional lime slices and strawberries

Instructions

 

  • Add the strawberries, sugar and lime juice to the pitcher of your blender.
  • Blend until completely smooth.
  • Add 4 cups of cold water and pulse just 3 times to combine.
  • Taste and add more water to adjust the strength, pulsing briefly to combine.
  • Cover and refrigerate the pitcher (or transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid) for at least an hour before serving to chill and let the flavors meld.
  • Serve in tall glasses, with or without ice, and garnish the rim with lime slices and strawberries if you like.
  • Enjoy with a straw.

Notes

If you prefer a smooth, pulp-free limeade, strain the blended mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a pitcher. I like the texture of pulp, so I usually leave it in.

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use if you need precise values.

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