This is a variation of my favorite childhood drink! A lime Rickey! This Non-Alcoholic Mocktail: Blueberry Lime Spritzer is a refreshing and beautiful way to enjoy the summer produce that is in abundance on my property.

Non-Alcoholic Mocktail: Blueberry Lime Spritzer

I have about 40 blueberry plants and two lime trees that produce ingredients for this drink all summer long. Also, the ingredients for Non-Alcoholic Mocktail: Blueberry Lime Spritzer are readily available all year round at the grocery store. Making it possible to enjoy this bright flavorful Non-Alcoholic Mocktail: Blueberry Lime Spritzer all year long.

This Non-Alcoholic Mocktail: Blueberry Lime Spritzer brings back all the feels for my daughter and myself. When I was young, I wasn’t often allowed to get a drink when ordering out. However, on special occasions my dad would let me get a drink and this was it, this was my all-time childhood favorite drink. Back then it was called a Lime Rickey. I first ordered it because my dad’s name is Rikki and I thought it was so cool that a drink was named after my dad (I was 7). From the first sip of it, I was hooked. The sweet fruit flavor, the overly apparent taste of lime, and the super fizziness of the soda; for me, it was a perfect combination of flavors.

For my daughter, her favorite childhood drink to order out as a treat was an Italian Soda. Way before we had a Starbucks where I live, we had a local drive-through coffee shop that also sold Italian Sodas. On occasion, when I got a coffee, my daughter would get an Italian Soda.

History of Italian Soda:

The funny thing about an Italian Soda is that they did not come from Italy. Italian Sodas actually originate in San Francisco by the Torani syrup company. The drink was made by Italian Soda was however made by two Italian men who immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s. Soda Fountains were very popular in that time and that is why it was created here in the United States.

Years ago I owned an small cafe:

My café featured gelato, panini, and espresso. I did a lot of research prior to opening my café. I even went to Italy and toured and tasted to make my café as authentic as possible. When I did the research for the espresso and Italian Soda part of my café, I discovered that the syrups used at coffee shops were not made of fresh fruits and contained other ingredients I did not want to consume.

Learning this, my daughter and I decided to start making our own syrups with fruit we grow here on our property. We grow year-round fruit on our property. There is something always is season. I have developed my garden so there is always some fruit in season. For example: my garden has apples that are early to late season apples. I have 10 different varieties of blueberries ripening at various times throughout the summer. Four different varieties of blackberries start in June and end in late October. In addition to blackberries, there are three varieties of everbearing raspberries in the garden. Also, three different varieties of cherries, and so on with other many other variety fruits.

What about fruit during the winter months? Well, persimmons produce into December and January most years. In December, my citrus trees are in full swing of production. I will get Satsuma Mandarins from December through February. Then there are the Meyer Lemon Trees that will Produce all winter long and even give me two to three large summer crops. (Basically, Meyer Lemons produce all year in my garden.) Now, we are back to late spring taking me right up to early plums and berries. Finally, back to the start of the summer fruit growing all over again. Plenty of fresh fruit to make my own fruit syrups.

How I came up with the Non-Alcoholic Mocktail: Blueberry Lime Spritzer:

This particular drink Non-Alcoholic Mocktail: Blueberry Lime Spritzer, spontaneously occurred one summer because we had a leftover bottle of Pellegrino given to us while leaving a hotel on a hot summer day. When we returned home, the bottle of Pellegrino stayed in the refrigerator for about two weeks. I decided it was in the way and needed to be drunk because I kept moving it to get to things behind it. Adding lime to my Pellegrino is generally my favorite way to drink it, so that was a given that I would add lime. In addition, I had just picked an entire bowl of blueberries, so the thought of an Italian soda crossed my mind. The decision to make a quick blueberry syrup for the Pellegrino and top it off with lime, easily made the recipe for me.

When the drink was finished and I tasted it for the first time, the memory of the Lime Rickey flashed back in my mind. It was probably at least 25 years ago or more that I last had a Lime Rickey. My daughter tasted the BL that I served up for her and was like wow and Italian Soda with a heavy lime presence! It was so fun to explain what this drink was to me as a kid. My daughter had never even heard of a Lime Rickey. I explained a Lime Rickey for me was her Italian Soda and she got it! A sweet, fizzy, citrus, iced drink on a warm day is something one can never tire of and will always have fuzzy memories of their favorite fizzy drink.

Ingredients:

Blueberries: we have heard for decades now that blueberries are a “superfood”. We have been encouraged to eat blueberries daily because they are wonderful antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, help with memory, help blood pressure and are full of needed nutrients. Blueberries are also a fruit that is lower on the glycemic index than other fruits, which is one more reason to eat them daily.

Limes: contain vitamins A and C, phosphorous, calcium, and folate. Limes also have antioxidants and help your body absorb iron. Always add a squeeze of lime; it tastes good, and it is good for you! Did you know a full ripe lime is actually yellow? I discovered this by leaving some unharvested limes on my tree.

Sugar: this recipe uses granular sugar. However, you can use coconut sugar which is lower on the glycemic index than regular granular sugar. Or, you can use cane sugar or turbinado sugar. Another alternative to granular sugar is low-calorie and low-carbohydrate sweeteners such as monkfruit or monkfruit blends.

Water: filtered or regular tap water is okay to use.

Substitutions:

You can use any flavor of fruit syrup or puree in place of the blueberry syrup. My favorites after the blueberry are raspberry and cherry. Both of those also pair well with the lime and make a great mocktail/nonalcoholic drink to enjoy alone or prepare and share with friends and family.

Try some of my other non-alcoholic drink recipes:

Real Strawberry Lemonade From Simple Ingredients, and Mocktail: Cucumber and Grapefruit Spritzer,

Items used in this Post:

Wusthof Culinar Knife Set, Cutting board, Napoleon Bee 12 oz Wine Glasses, OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Strainer Set, heavy bottom saucepan, lime squeezer

How to make Non-Alcoholic Mocktail: Blueberry Lime Spritzer:

Ingredients:

1 16.9 oz Pellegrino (chilled)
2 Limes

Blueberry syrup:

1 ½ cup Blueberries

½ cup Water

½ cup Sugar

blueberry lime spritzer ingredients Pellegrino Napoleon Bee 12 oz glasses all clad sauce pan mesh strainer

Step by Step Instructions:

First, wash all the fruit.

Second, place blueberries, water, and sugar in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until blueberries break down and become syrup with the water and sugar.

blueberry syrup boiling on stove top in alclad saucepan

Use a wooden spoon, potato masher, or food mill to smash blueberries.

blueberry syrup boiling on stove top in alclad saucepan with wooden spoon

Once the blueberries are mashed pour the blueberry syrup through a strainer and reserve only the liquid. Discard the blueberry skins. Let cool.

While the blueberry syrup is cooling pick out 3 serving glasses, I used 12 oz goblets

Slice the two limes in half. Three of the four halves will be to squeeze into the serving glasses. With the fourth half of the lime, slice it into slices to use as garnish.

Fill the three serving glasses with ice.

Then, add two tablespoons of blueberry syrup to each serving glass.

Next, add Pellegrino to the three glasses and stir well to combine the blueberry syrup and Pellegrino.

Finally, squeeze half of a lime into each glass and stir gently to combine.

Garnish with a slice of lime and blueberries (I also used some thyme from the garden as a garnish in this drink.)

Recipe note you can add simple syrup to adjust the sweetness and tartness