Sprite Recipe
The cold, refreshing flavors of lemon and lime, perfectly blended.
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Ingredients
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Lemon‑Lime Syrup
To Serve
Method
Lemon‑Lime Syrup
- 1
Prep the citrus
Wash the lemons and limes. Using a microplane or fine grater, zest one lemon and one lime until you have about 1 tablespoon of each. Then juice the same fruits until you have 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup lime juice. Remove any seeds.
- 2
Make the simple syrup
In a small saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water. Add the lemon and lime zest. Place over medium heat and stir gently until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture comes just to a simmer (do not boil vigorously). This should take about 3–5 minutes.
- 3
Infuse and finish the syrup
Remove the pan from heat and let the zest steep in the hot syrup for 10–15 minutes to extract flavor. After steeping, strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof container, pressing on the solids to extract liquid, then discard the solids. While the syrup is still warm, stir in the 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1 tsp citric acid (if using), and 1/4 tsp fine salt. Taste and adjust: add a touch more citric acid or an extra tablespoon of juice if you want more tang, or a bit more syrup if you want sweeter.
- 4
Cool the syrup
Let the syrup cool to room temperature (about 15–20 minutes), then refrigerate until cold, at least 15 more minutes. The syrup will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days in a sealed container.
Assembly & Serving
- 5
- 6
Add ice and sparkling water
Fill the glass with ice (about 1 cup of ice cubes), then pour 1 cup (8 fl oz / 240 ml) chilled sparkling water over the ice and syrup. Stir gently once or twice with a bar spoon to combine — do not stir vigorously so you keep the carbonation.
- 7
- 8
Notes & adjustments
If you prefer a clearer, less pulpy soda, strain juices through a fine mesh before adding to the syrup. For a more authentic commercial tang without increasing acidity from juice, use citric acid in small increments. To scale the recipe, maintain the syrup ratio (1:1 sugar:water) and keep the citrus at roughly 1/2 cup total juice per 2 cups syrup for similar intensity.
