Cherry Limeade Recipe

A brief break between shifts on a double today.  I have worked exceptionally little over the last two weeks.  This of course meant that it was too hot for anyone to sit on the patio this afternoon for my patio shift.  A piece of Sockeye Salmon over a mushroom risotto with a white wine sauce topped with marinated diced tomatoes made it worth my while.

The other task I accomplished is sitting down with Kansas City’s most vivacious mixologist and cocktail critic to create a simple cherry limeade recipe.  I have written about my cherry limeade line and why it is such powerful tool to read your tables.  I have also discussed the number of search engine hits I get looking for a cherry limeade recipe.  Today, I decided to finally reveal the recipe to the drink that still officially appears on my restaurants menu as “The Hayden.”

The original recipe for the drink went something like this:

16 oz glass filled with ice

1 fresh squeezed lime (approx ¾ oz)

¾ oz simple syrup (50/50 mix of water and sugar diluted)

2 oz water

½ oz grenadine

Shake Vigorously

Top with soda water

This makes for a very good drink, but most people do not have simple syrup and soda water sitting around the house.  While simple syrup does work well in coffee, it can be a bit of a hassle to make for around the house.  It also defeats the purpose of this light summery drink to have to stand over the stove to make ingredients.  So today we developed this simpler, but equally tasty recipe:

16 oz glass filled with ice

1 fresh squeezed lime (approx ¾ oz)

1 oz grenadine

Fill with Sprite or 7up

This version is simple, refreshing, and tasty.  As a retired drinker, I enjoy having a nice alternative to soda, coffee, and water.  This can be added to most any restaurants repertoire for a nice lunchtime alternative.  For my mixologist friend this was the equivalent of Babe Ruth playing tee ball.  If you would like to find more of her innovative cocktails, you can check out her column in Tastebud Magazine.  I enjoy her writing style and can almost taste the drinks from her descriptions.