Roll each lime on the counter with your hand before cutting it in half. This helps get more juice out. Squeeze the limes into a measuring cup until you have 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of juice, and strain out the seeds. The juice should look cloudy and pale yellow-green, not clear.

Pour the fresh lime juice into the pitcher, then add grenadine and stir with a long spoon until it turns deep pink and there are no red streaks. Taste it here; it should be tart with a sweet finish and strong enough to drink on its own.

Pour the chilled lemon-lime soda into the pitcher in two or three parts, tilting the pitcher so the soda hits the side instead of the surface. This helps keep the fizz. If foam rises over the top, slow down and let it settle for a few seconds between pours.

Give the pitcher a slow stir with a long spoon to mix everything, reaching the bottom where grenadine settles. Don’tDon’t stir too hard; it will knock out the carbonation and make the drink flat.

Put nugget or crushed ice in each glass before pouring the drink. This helps keep more bubbles in the drink. Pack the ice loosely to let the liquid flow around each piece.

Pour the cherry-lime mixture over the ice until it’s near the rim. Leave enough space for a cherry and a lime slice. Add one maraschino cherry and place a lime slice on the edge of the glass. Serve immediately.

If nugget ice sits in the drink for more than 10 minutes, it will dilute the flavor, so make this drink close to serving time.