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Like a fancy homemade Shirley Temple, this Sparkling Cherry Lemonade is such a fun treat for kids!

Sparkling. Cherry. Lemonade. Right?! So yummy, so sparkly, and served in a fancy glass. My kids LOVE when I serve them drinks in our fancy stemware. This recipe is part of The Blue Whale dinner menu.

As I said above, this drink is like a fancy homemade Shirley Temple. We’re gonna make some homemade lemonade, add a little lime juice for more flavor. Splash in some of that super healthy bright red juice from the jar of maraschino cherries, and then finish it all off with some sparkling water!

Anything sparkling just feels extra fancy to me, and it does for the kids, too. We don’t keep soda in this house, and rarely drink it. Abby and Katie are 10 and 8 and they still call soda “spicy” because of the carbonation. So even drinks made with sparkling water or things like sparkling apple cider are still too “spicy” for them sometimes. If that’s also the case with your kids you can totally leave out the sparkly!

Bubbly or not, you still must serve Sparkling Cherry Lemonade in fancy glasses! Yes it can be nerve wracking, but the kids absolutely LOVE it when I serve them drinks in my stemware. They feel so grown up and fancy regardless of what is inside the glass.

To get the most juice out of your lemons and limes, use your palm to apply pressure to the whole citrus and roll back and forth on your counter a few times before cutting open. Get the kids in on the action to use their muscles, too. They can squeeze the citrus halves or use the juicer themselves.

For the adults in the crowd who like something a little stronger, you absolutely can add a dry champagne in place of the sparkling water here! Cheers!

Sparkling Cherry Lemonade

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

A fancy homemade Shirley Temple-type drink for kids of all ages!

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Ingredients

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 large limes)
• 1/4 cup cherry juice (from the maraschino cherry jar)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 cups water, divided
• sparkling water, for serving
• maraschino cherries, for serving

Instructions

1. In a large pitcher, combine the lemon, lime, and cherry juices.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the sugar with 1 cup of water. Heat for 1 minute, remove from the microwave, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour the sugar mixture into the juice in the pitcher.
3. Add the remaining 4 cups water to the juice in the pitcher and stir to combine well. Store in the fridge to cool until ready to serve.
4. To serve, fill a glass halfway with cherry lemonade, and pour sparkling water to fill the remaining half. Top with a maraschino cherry.

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