Raspberry Lime Rickey is the Summer Drink for 2022

Raspberries, limes, and bubbles…what’s not to love! The Raspberry Lime Rickey is the perfect summer refresher. I like mine made with plain seltzer or club soda, but a sweeter version is possible by using lemon-lime soda (or pop, as we call it in the Midwest.) Add gin or vodka to make it an invigorating warm-weather cocktail. 

A refreshing Raspberry Lime Rickey

The Raspberry Lime Rickey is a favorite beverage among New Englanders. I first stumbled across this drink on a Concord, Massachusetts, ice cream shop menu in the early 1990s. The name caught my attention: What was a Raspberry Lime Rickey? The server explained it was a raspberry-lime syrup mixed with seltzer water. Of course, I had to try it and immediately fell in love with the tangy-sweet combo of flavors. 

Add as many lime slices and raspberries as you want!

For the following 20 years I lived in the region, I ordered a Rickey every time I saw it on a menu. Sometimes it was sweeter if the eatery used lemon-lime soda (typically Sprite) instead of seltzer. I prefer the less-sweet version, but I’m also a fan of un-sweet seltzer water overall. Sometimes I would order it at a bar with an added shot of gin. It was a fun diversion from my typical summer gin and tonic.

To make the raspberry-lime syrup, place raspberries, sugar, and water into a saucepan. Cook until the berries begin to get juicy and the sugar dissolves. Mash the raspberries with a fork or potato masher. Add lime juice and zest, and continue to simmer until the mixture begins to thicken.

Pour the raspberry-lime mixture into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Press down on the mixture with a spatula to help extract all of the liquid. Discard the leftover solids. Chill the raspberry-lime syrup in the refrigerator until completely cold.

 

Store the raspberry-lime syrup in the refrigerator for a week. I also keep mine in the freezer, but it doesn’t freeze solid for some reason. (Maybe someone with a more scientific mind than I’ve got can explain why.) I mix up individual glasses, but all the syrup and bubbly-beverage-of-choice can be combined in a large pitcher for a summer party. 

To learn more about the history of the Raspberry Lime Rickey, check out this article on the New England Today website.