Pineapple Honey Limeade

Lemonade is a classic choice for a refreshing summer drink, but limeade is the overlooked citrus beverage that deserves just as much rave. The tartness and tanginess of fresh lime juice is quite intense, which means you don’t need to use very much to yield a good limeade. On it’s own, lime juice needs lots of sweetener and  instead of adding white sugar, I prefer the more natural approach by mixing in freshly made pineapple juice. Making it is super easy, and you don’t even need to buy a juicer.

While testing this limeade recipe, I really wanted to avoid white sugar and/or making simple syrup. Using honey was an obvious choice simply because it’s already 20% water, says The Kitchn, so there’s no need to cook it down. Then, while at the grocery store, I walked past some insanely aromatic ripened pineapples. Wanting to avoid making a “honey drink with a little lime”, I decided the juice from this pineapple needed to be extracted and put to good use. 

Making fresh juice without a juicer

You don’t need to buy an expensive juicer to make pineapple juice (or any other fruit juice for that matter). Juicers are super expensive, bulky, and tedious. Instead, simply cut the pineapple into chunks, pulse it in a food processor, then press it through a fine mesh strainer into a larger bowl. Use a rubber spatula to push the pulp down and extract as much juice as possible. Be sure make sure you’re strainer is a super fine grate. Some are looser than others, so choose the strainers with the smaller holes to catch more pulp. If you want pulp then add some to your discretion.