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Sonic Cherry Limeade
Whip up Sonic's refreshing cherry limeade at home with fresh limes, maraschino cherries, and sparkling lemon-lime soda.
sonic · fast-food · drink
🕑Prep5 min
🍳Cook0 min
⏱Total5 min
🍽Serves2
⭐DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
- 2 cups lemon-lime soda (such as Sprite)
- 3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 6 maraschino cherries
- 2 lime wedges for garnish
- Crushed ice to fill glasses
Instructions
- 1.Make the cherry lime syrup. In a small bowl, stir together the maraschino cherry juice, fresh lime juice, and sugar until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- 2.Prepare the glasses. Fill two tall glasses to the brim with crushed ice — Sonic famously uses their signature pellet ice, so crushed ice gets you closest to the real thing.
- 3.Pour the soda. Divide the lemon-lime soda evenly between the two glasses, pouring it over the ice.
- 4.Add the syrup. Drizzle the cherry lime syrup over the soda in each glass and stir gently with a long spoon to combine without losing all the fizz.
- 5.Garnish and serve. Drop 3 maraschino cherries into each glass and perch a lime wedge on the rim. Serve immediately with a straw.
Sonic Drive-In’s Cherry Limeade is the chain’s most popular drink for a reason — it is the perfect balance of tart lime, sweet cherry, and bubbly soda over that famous nugget ice. This easy recipe takes just five minutes and delivers the same refreshing sip that keeps people coming back to Sonic all summer long.
Why This Recipe Works
The real Sonic Cherry Limeade uses a combination of cherry syrup and fresh lime juice, not artificial flavoring. By using real maraschino cherry juice and freshly squeezed lime, you get that bright, authentic flavor. The crushed ice is essential — it chills the drink faster and creates that signature Sonic texture.
Pro Tips
- For an even closer match to Sonic’s nugget ice, look for pellet ice machines or bags of “chewable ice” at some grocery stores.
- Make a large batch of the cherry lime syrup and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week for instant cherry limeades anytime.
- Add a splash of grenadine for extra sweetness, or a shot of vodka for an adult version.
