With a burst of real-fruit flavor, perfect fizz, and no-boil syrup, an easy raspberry lime rickey hits the spot for the whole family to enjoy as a refreshing summer mocktail. Simple to make with fresh or frozen raspberries.

Two drinks in highball glasses garnished with raspberries and lime rounds.

Pregnant in a Southern summer as hot and muggy as ever, it became my mission last year to drink as many cold/decaf/non-alcoholic beverages as I could get my hands on. A family-sized box of decaf Luzianne for iced tea did not last long in my house.

With its boldly sweet/tart flavor and bubbles, a raspberry lime rickey would have hit the spot...if I felt like expending the energy to make a simple syrup. I had heard about this retro New England-centric mocktail in Yankee Magazine some time before and filed the idea away, but something about that stovetop syrup always made it a bridge too far.

Fast forward to this spring, I was reading a different magazine, Cook's Country, saw their feature on this raspberry lime mocktail, and noticed their method didn't require the stovetop at all. Same basic ingredients, just let time do the work. Sold! I've just added more raspberries to use up a full container of frozen (or two fresh).

I think of a raspberry lime rickey as a cool older cousin of a Sonic cherry limeade. With fresh raspberries, lime juice/zest, and a club soda base, you can make multiple servings at once and sweeten each just as strong as you like it.

What You'll Need

Text-labeled raspberry lime rickey ingredients in separate containers.

Raspberries - Twelve ounces are needed, which usually amounts to two fresh clamshell containers or one whole bag of frozen. I love using frozen raspberries here as you don't even need to thaw them.

Granulated Sugar - Your mileage may vary, but I've tested out reducing the sugar to ⅔-cup and found it a little too tart for my taste. The lime flavor is bold and needs that sweetness for balance.

Lime Juice & Zest - You won't miss the lime here! Zest coats the raspberries (and then is strained out), while lime juice is combined with the chilled syrup for a bold, fresh flavor.

Club Soda - Seltzer or plain sparkling water - all good! The raspberry syrup provides all of the sweetness you need, so don't substitute in a sweetened carbonated beverage like lemon-lime soda.

Easy Steps

Raspberries in a bowl coated with sugar and lime zest.

Step 1: Toss raspberries with sugar and lime zest.

Raspberries, sugar, and lime zest in a bowl after steeping.

Step 2: Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight, until much liquid has released.

Raspberries being pressed through a sieve to extract the syrup.

Step 3: Strain the syrup using a fine mesh sieve, pressing the berries with the back of a spatula to get as much syrup as possible.

Lime juice being poured into a jar of raspberry syrup.

Step 4: Stir in the lime juice and refrigerate the raspberry lime syrup until ready to serve.

Two raspberry lime rickeys in highball glasses garnished with raspberries and lime rounds.

Step 5: Add ice to a tall glass, then pour in three tablespoons of the raspberry lime syrup. Top with club soda and garnish with lime rounds and/or fresh raspberries.

Tips and Tricks

Add more syrup to taste. If you're accustomed to fruit-flavored sparkling waters like I am, a sparkling beverage made with a sweetened, boldly fruity syrup can feel like a shock to the system upon first sip. Start small with the syrup and add an extra tablespoon or two after tasting if you'd like.
Make it a cocktail. Adding a shot of vodka or tequila is the simplest way to make a raspberry lime rickey cocktail.
Keep it simple. I've made a version of this with other fruit combined with raspberries, but it didn't have much impact. In fact, it diluted the raspberry flavor to where the lime took over. You want a bold raspberry flavor to balance the sharper citrus.

More Fun Summertime Drinks

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