A few weeks ago, in anticipation of Cinco de Mayo, I went to BJ’s and bought a giant sackful of limes. Fresh-squeezed, homemade margaritas are the best, you know? But when I got home with my citrus haul, I remembered that I was (still am…T-3 weeks!) supposed to be training for my first ever race and therefore not supposed to be boozing so much. So…bottomless margaritas did not happen. Instead, we had piles of totchos and bacon, which is obviously so much better for training purposes.
The upshot of all this was that I tossed the bag of limes aside and forgot all about it until yesterday, when I walked by my fruit bowl and saw that it was full of shriveled, hardened balls that used to be big juicy limes. Ugh. Luckily when I managed to slice one open, I saw that it was still fairly juicy, and therefore juice-able. Phew, not a total waste. The only question was, what to do with all that lime juice?
A quick search on online told me that limeade is a thing, and it’s popular. I’ve never had limeade before, but from what I could tell it’s basically just the lime-equivalent of lemonade. I like lemonade, and I like limes…what could be better? To make things extra jazzy, I threw in some pureed blackberries and used a mint-infused simple syrup. Poured over ice and garnished with mint leaves and blackberries, the resulting drink was sweet, tangy, and deliciously refreshing. It really did taste like lime-y lemonade!
You know what else it kind of tasted like? A margarita, without the booze. Dan actually did add a splash of tequila to his and said it was even tastier that way. No matter how you serve it, this limeade is delicious, and particularly satisfying on a warm spring/summer day. Why not make a pitcher for your Memorial Day party?
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 cups cold water, with 1 cup separated out
- 1 large handful mint, plus extra leaves to garnish
- 1 cup blackberries, plus more to garnish
- 1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- Lime slices, to garnish
- In a small pot, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Cook over medium heat until mixture is simmering, then swirl your pot until the sugar dissolves and your mixture is clear.
- Remove your simple syrup from heat. Add your mint leaves to the mixture and allow it to steep for 20-30 minutes. Remove mint leaves, and set infused syrup aside to cool further.
- While your mint syrup is cooling, place your blackberries in a food processor or blender, and puree until smooth.
- Pour pureed blackberries into a large pitcher or jug.
- Add all your mint syrup, lime juice and the remaining 4 cups of water. Stir to mix well.
- If desired, you can pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the blackberry seeds. (I did)
- To serve, fill glasses with ice, lime slices and blackberries. Pour limeade into the prepared glasses, and garnish with a few extra mint leaves.
- Enjoy!
(Slightly adapted from Food Misadventure’s recipe)
this combo also makes a really good sorbet
Yum, good idea!
This limeade is magical! Pinning!
Thanks! Let me know if you try it 🙂
Oh my goodness this looks really great! Love the combo of blackberry, lime, and mint! And what beautiful photos! Pinning!
Haha,and this made me laugh: “Instead, we had piles of totchos and bacon, which is obviously so much better for training purposes.”
Hahaha thanks 😉
So, your photography is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. I am loving everything you do! You are so talented and I love your use of color!
Thank you for the compliment! Coming from you, that means a lot – I’m a huge fan of yours 🙂