Cherries in syrup blended whole with lime juice, water and ice. One step, five minutes, six glasses, and the syrup from the jar is doing the sweetening.
One step, and that is the whole recipe
Everything goes in the blender at once: the cherries with their syrup, the lime juice, the water, the ice and sugar to taste. Blend, pour, garnish.
There is nothing to time and nothing to watch. What decides whether it is good is the balance between the syrup from the jar and eight ounces of lime juice, and the only way to know is to taste before adding sugar.
The syrup is doing the sweetening
A jar of cherries in heavy syrup carries a great deal of sugar, and two cups of it goes into this drink along with the fruit.
That is why sugar is listed as being to taste rather than as a measured amount. Some jars will sweeten it entirely; others will need help against that much lime.
Blend first, taste, then decide.
Blend the ice
Two cups of ice go in with everything else rather than into the glass afterwards, and it changes what the drink is.
Blended, the ice breaks into crystals suspended through the liquid and the whole thing comes out thick and cold, closer to a slush. Added to the glass, it sits at the bottom and melts, and the lemonade is thinner from the first sip.
It also means this cannot wait. Make it when people are ready to drink it.
With vodka
The original recipe ended by suggesting three ounces of vodka, which turns this into a cocktail and works well against the cherry and lime.
It was written as a step, which meant the recipe was instructing everyone to add alcohol to an ingredient list that did not contain any. It is a suggestion, and it is in the notes now.
More cold drinks
- Colombian limonada — with the whole lime.
- Coconut lemonade — the creamy one.
- Grape juice — cooked rather than blended.
- Coffee granizado — frozen and raked.
Cherry Lemonade FAQ
Taste first. The cherries go in with their syrup and a jar in heavy syrup may sweeten it entirely on its own. Eight ounces of lime juice is a lot of acid, so some sugar is often needed, but not always.
Lime. In Colombia limón means lime, which is what a limonada is made with.
Because that is what gives it its texture, halfway between a lemonade and a slush. Ice added to the glass instead makes a thinner drink that separates.
Not really. The blended ice starts melting immediately and the drink thins out within minutes. It is a one-step recipe for a reason.
Pitted cherries in syrup, from a jar or a tin. Fresh cherries would need pitting and there would be no syrup, so you would need considerably more sugar.
Three ounces of vodka, which is what the recipe suggested. It is not in the ingredient list, so buy it separately.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups pitted cherries with their syrup
- 8 ounces lime juice (limón in Colombia)
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups ice
- Sugar (to taste, if the syrup is not enough)
Notas
Instructions
- Put the cherries with their syrup, the lime juice, the water, the ice and sugar to taste in the blender and blend.
- Serve, and garnish with a slice of lime or a cherry in the glass.
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