Cherry Rickey with Lime

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen pitted cherries + frozen pitted cherries for serving
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup frozen lime lemonade concentrate (half a 12-ounce can)
• 0.5 cup freshly squeezed lime juice + lime wedges, for serving
• Seltzer water for serving (optional)

Preparation:

1. Combine the cherries, sugar, and 1 cup of water in a medium saucepan and heat over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Gently crush the cherries with a potato masher, then simmer the mixture over low heat until slightly reduced and dark red, about 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.
2. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a heatproof container, pressing down on the cherries to extract all the juice. You should have about 1 3/4 cups of syrup. Let cool for 30 minutes.
3. Combine the cherry syrup with the limeade and lime juice in a pitcher and stir well. Yield: 3 tbsp.
4. For serving:
   
   Stir in either 3 cups of plain water if you prefer a still drink, or mix equal parts of the drink with seltzer water in a glass. Serve over ice with frozen cherries and lime wedges.