Sour, sweet and fizzing hard: the Cherry Lime Rickey is what American soda fountains poured long before energy drinks existed. Fresh lime keeps the cherry syrup honest, and the cold soda does the rest.
1 oz
lime juice about half a lime
¾ oz
cherry syrup or grenadine
5 oz
soda water very cold and fizzy
Garnish: Cherry and lime wheel · Ice: Ice cubes
Cherry Lime Rickey
Tart and fruity with a clear lime bite and sweet cherry, very fizzy and light. Refreshing rather than sugary when made with fresh lime.
The Rickey was born as an alcoholic drink in Washington, D.C., in the 1880s, usually linked to the lobbyist Colonel Joe Rickey and the bar at Shoomaker's: spirit, half a lime and soda water over ice, without sugar. As a highball it was dry and sour by design.
Soda fountains and drugstores soon adopted the idea in an alcohol-free, sweetened form, the Lime Rickey, made with lime juice, syrup and carbonated water. Adding cherry or raspberry syrup gave the Cherry Lime Rickey and the Raspberry Lime Rickey. The cherry version is especially associated with New England, where it has remained a familiar item at diners and ice cream shops.
The soda fountain version is alcohol-free. The original Rickey was made with gin or whiskey, but without sugar or cherry.
Yes, it is a common substitute. The drink will taste more like pomegranate and red berries than cherry.
From Washington, D.C., in the 1880s, where it was named after Colonel Joe Rickey.
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Cherry red and full of jukebox charm.
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