Pinapple Limeade

This is the kind of drink you find at Mexican taquerias and backyard cookouts. Pineapple juice and lime juice sweetened with sugar, then topped off with cold sparkling water right before serving. Fizzy, tropical, and gone before you know it.

Mix the pineapple juice, lime juice, and sugar together first and refrigerate until cold. The sugar needs a good stir to dissolve fully in the cold juice. Adding the sparkling water at the last second keeps the fizz alive. Mix it in too early and you’re drinking flat juice.

Serve it over plenty of ice with a lime slice on the rim.

The ratio leans tropical-sweet from the pineapple, with the lime cutting through just enough to keep it from being cloying. If you like it more tart, squeeze in extra lime.

Kitchen Tips

• Dissolve the sugar in the pineapple juice while stirring vigorously. If it won’t dissolve, warm a small amount of juice, dissolve the sugar in that, then add it back to the cold mixture
• Use very cold sparkling water straight from the fridge. Warm sparkling water loses its fizz the moment it hits the juice
• Chill the entire base mixture for at least 30 minutes before adding the sparkling water
• Serve immediately after adding the sparkling water for maximum bubbles

Variations

• Add a splash of coconut cream for a pina colada limeade
• Muddle fresh mint leaves into each glass before pouring for a mojito-style twist
• Swap sparkling water for ginger beer for a spicy pineapple-lime shandy