Apparently this weekend, temperatures in Dallas,TX will reach the triple digits.  Summer is here with a blistering vengeance but thankfully I love the summers in Texas.  Because Summer in Texas means swimmin’, bbq’n, fishin’ and boatin’ — and all of these things are at the top of my “Best Things in Life” list.

I think one of my favorite summers by far was back in 2005.  That summer all of my closest girlfriends were in Austin and together, we painted the town crazy.  It was safe to say it was the pinnacle of rebellious independence : we were all single, young, beautiful and fearless.  We’d spend our nights tearing through 6th street, dancing and partying til the bars would close.  Yet our night wouldn’t be complete without our late-night ritual, the Waffle House run (hence how I gained the freshman 30).  Bed time would usually be a couple of hours before dawn and mornings wouldn’t start til well after 12 pm.

Our days often spent moseying by the pool, reading fashion magazines, sipping on cups of ‘Boone’s Farm’ and slathering on gallons of tanning oil (before I was up to date on the whole excessive uv rays causes skin cancer and wrinkles thing) because the darker the better was the fad back in the day.

Life was truly liberating back then, nothing really mattered.  We celebrated our freedom of youth, unrestrained by the problems of adulthood.  That summer created moments we still die laughing about and all the girl talks by the pool that made us become closer friends.   Every time we reminisce back to these memories of that one FABULOUS summer, without fail it leaves huge smiles on our faces.  And after all these years, these girls still remain wonderful friends of mine.  Though we’re now all in different places with our new lives, it was one of those summers that will inevitably keep us together, always.

Earlier this week as I was reading my Vogue and basking out in the sun, I realized how much has changed, not only in my life but within my self.  Sometimes you grow up so quickly, you don’t even realize everthing that has happened.  I am fortunate to have good memories that will always make me smile when life seems to be “moving too fast”.

Take a break. Relax. Enjoy something that makes you smile.

Apparently Strawberry and Cherry Limeade makes everyone smile.  This is a raw recipe, I used honey instead of sugar and fresh cherries instead of Maraschino.  Granted Maraschino Cherries are quite yummy, preservatives and food coloring are not.  If you like your limeades tart, add more lime juice and if you have crushed ice, make it into a slushy!  And of course, I will never stop anyone who wants to “kick it up a notch” and throw in a little magic called Vodka or Gin.  Either way, stay hydrated and keep cool this summer, I have a feeling it’s going to be a long one :) .

Ingredients for Cherry Limeade:(makes 4 servings)

  • 1 pint (750mL) of S.Pellegrino sparkling mineral water
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 12 ounces of  cherries, rinsed and pitted
  • 1/2 cup honey or agave
  • 1 lime, sliced for garnish

Take the cherries and either place them in a blender and puree or place in individual glasses and mash with mortar.  If you are mashing with a mortar, make sure the cherries are broken down pretty well — this ensures maximum cherry flavor.

Mix the lime juice and honey, until honey has dissolved and place equally in the glasses.  Top off with the sparkling mineral water and garnish with a slice of lime.  If it’s not sweet enough feel free to add more honey/agave, same goes for tartness.

Serve with ice or if preferred, throw it into the blender and make it into a slush.  To make it extra saucy, just add an ounce of Vodka on top, serve and enjoy!

Ingredients for Strawberry Limeade:

  • 1 pint (750mL) of S.Pellegrino sparkling mineral water
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 12 ounces of  strawberries, rinsed and hulled
  • 1/2 cup honey or agave
  • 1 lime, sliced for garnish

Take the strawberries and either place them in a blender and puree or place in individual glasses and mash with mortar.  If you are mashing with a mortar, make sure the strawberries are broken down pretty well — this ensures maximum strawberry flavor.

Mix the lime juice and honey, until honey has dissolved and place equally in the glasses.  Top off with the sparkling mineral water and garnish with a slice of lime.  If it’s not sweet enough feel free to add more honey/agave, same goes for tartness.

Serve with ice or if preferred, throw it into the blender and make it into a slush.  To make it extra saucy, just add an ounce of Vodka on top, serve and enjoy!

30 Comments

  1. Viviane Bauquet Farre says: 3 Jun ’10 • 11:45:27

    What a beautiful and fun post! I love that you use honey instead of sugar and gorgeous fresh cherries instead of the dreadful jarred Maraschino (I don’t find them one little bit yummy!)… I also love your suggestion of adding a splash of Vodka to the drink… This is a winner! And so are your photos… Kudos

    Reply

  2. marymoh says: 3 Jun ’10 • 13:40:14

    A beautiful post and beautiful drink! Joy, you always make me smile. I think any time when my blog content is stolen, I just have to head over here & I’m sure I will feel better :D Best if I’m your neighbour :D Time passes but it’s always awesome to recall back sweet memories. At least we remember. I dread the day when I can’t remember…haha Hope that doesn’t happen.

    Reply

  3. tasteofbeirut says: 3 Jun ’10 • 14:45:04

    Joy
    Reading your post and admiring your photos was so fun! I remember fun outings in Austin on 6th street too and the best music, ever! in those little hole-in-the-wall bars, wonderful! this cherry limeade is so calling me! I love summers in Texas too; I had my first swim yesterday, yeah!

    Reply

  4. Emily says: 3 Jun ’10 • 14:56:16

    Joy – this is such a perfect drink. I love cherry limeades. I will have to whip this up on my next pool day. Your photos are beautiful!

    Reply

  5. tastyeatsathome says: 3 Jun ’10 • 15:05:06

    Gorgeous photos, and this sounds SO refreshing. It’s been ages since I’ve had a limeade – cherry and strawberry are both really tasty! What lens did you use for that close-up cherry pit shot? That’s amazing!

    Reply

  6. Elissa says: 3 Jun ’10 • 15:55:48

    That shot of the cherry limeade right above the recipe is absolutely perfect. You are killing me with these delicious-looking photos!

    Reply

  7. citronetvanille says: 3 Jun ’10 • 16:05:54

    Oh that Limeade is heavenly! and your photos gorgeous as always, you managed to capture the beauty of the fruit here. Oh well, keep those wonderful memories and just enjoy every moment of the great times, because time flies…

    Reply

  8. The Housewife says: 3 Jun ’10 • 17:55:16

    Looks so pretty! Bookmarked for my next girls evening! :)

    Reply

  9. Jason Phelps says: 3 Jun ’10 • 17:55:51

    Fruity, tangy drinks on a hot day. Lemonade my grandmother made is the first thing I think of.

    I saw this post and then thought of Strawberry Wine. Shameless I know, but I make a very good one that has picked up 6 awards in the last few years. But back to kicking up the drink. The wine would be lower in alcohol and would add some berry flavor as well as a bit of sweet. But I can see it working. It is getting warm here in NH so I am going to have to try this just to see how it works.

    Jason

    Reply

  10. The Cilantropist says: 3 Jun ’10 • 23:50:10

    I laughed out loud when I saw the photo of the cherry and strawberry chatting together, too cute. :) And I LOVE the photo of the strawberries dropping into the water, look amazing. (As does the Strawberry limeade of course!)

    Reply

    • julie anderson says: 17 May ’11 • 15:05:50

      i love the limeades thary are so so so so so so gooooooooood

  11. Magic of Spice says: 4 Jun ’10 • 00:11:17

    Beautiful post, so creative!

    Reply

  12. skip to malou says: 4 Jun ’10 • 01:22:51

    i won’t be surprised to see this in top 9 or TS or foodgawker… joy you are one of the most talented blogger that i follow… im glad that we’ve crossed paths too as friends on T and FB… gosh you are ahh-mazing!

    Reply

  13. penny aka jeroxie says: 4 Jun ’10 • 07:38:54

    Love all the photos and what a fun post!

    Reply

  14. tammy says: 4 Jun ’10 • 08:26:52

    One of the best summers of my life… ;)

    Reply

  15. lululu says: 4 Jun ’10 • 08:54:27

    It’s still a little bit too early here in Vancouver to enjoy this wonderful summer drink, as it’s a bit chilly here. But you know I need that. I need that to refresh my pregnancy nausea.
    Yes, I really need that!

    Reply

  16. Green Girl says: 4 Jun ’10 • 09:57:51

    great post, gorgeous pictures, summer is here, time for a refreshing drink

    Reply

  17. Angie says: 4 Jun ’10 • 11:02:46

    You did both! Yes limeades rule :) Can I join you poolside with one in each hand?

    Reply

  18. Linn @ Swedish home cooking says: 5 Jun ’10 • 03:09:40

    Summer is here! I’m in Paris for the moment and it is hoot. A drink like this would be amazing right now.. Mmm.

    Reply

  19. Ruchi says: 5 Jun ’10 • 04:16:31

    These are gorgeous pics and a nice refreshing and cool recipe!

    Reply

  20. lemonsandanchovies says: 5 Jun ’10 • 11:02:25

    Gorgeous photos–so summery! I think I’ll really like these drinks, too.

    Reply

  21. Magdalena says: 5 Jun ’10 • 16:42:31

    Your post is very summery…thanks God, at last we have summer here, because the month of May was really awful…Kind regards!

    Reply

  22. gwen says: 5 Jun ’10 • 18:55:09

    Yay! top 9! this should be top 9, or more like #1 of all time. Your photos are ggorgeous! r u a prof photographer? it’s def your calling.
    Thanks for reminding me that cherry limeades used to be my all time fav!

    Reply

  23. Lisa { AuthenticSuburbanGourmet } says: 5 Jun ’10 • 22:17:35

    What a perfect summer drink. Great photos!

    Reply

  24. Christine @ Fresh Local and Best says: 6 Jun ’10 • 10:57:10

    Love the picture of the single cherry!

    Reply

  25. TripleScoop says: 8 Jun ’10 • 16:58:45

    Joy this sounds absolutely refreshing for a hot summer day!

    Reply

  26. alisons says: 10 Jun ’10 • 14:55:18

    oh ,joy ,such a lovely post,fun and and beautiful!the limeade is very tempting,many gooood ingredients….like vodka,of course!ha-ha!

    Reply

  27. kristy says: 12 Jun ’10 • 05:38:46

    Joy, I’m late! It’s been a hectic week. I was busy helping my hubby on some delivery jobs. And gosh, these strawberry & cherry limeade sound awesome…..I need one right NOW! Hope you’re having a great weekend.
    Cheers, Kristy

    Reply

  28. Fung says: 24 Jun ’10 • 17:38:58

    Joy, I love the lighting, texture and simplicity of these pictures. Your pictures are getting so much better!

    Reply

  29. Shakespeare in the Park « says: 14 Jul ’10 • 01:04:47

    [...] drinks you can try this refreshing Mango Lemonade and Watermelon Lemonade or perhaps some of my Limeades !  Simply serve over ice and you are ready to [...]

    Reply

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