Place the Baja Blast and pink lemonade in the fridge for at least two hours before mixing. Cold ingredients keep more fizz once combined.

Room-temperature soda foams up fast and loses carbonation within minutes. Cold cans and bottles pour smooth, with a thin, tight layer of foam on top.

Roll the lime firmly on the counter first, then cut it in half and juice both sides. This loosens the fruit and gets more juice out per lime.

A ripe lime should give a scant 2 tablespoons on its own. Grab a second lime when yours feels hard or light for its size.

Pour the pink lemonade into your pitcher first, then add the grenadine and lime juice. Stir gently with a long-handled spoon for about ten seconds.

The base should look pale pink and smell sharply citrusy at this point, before any soda joins in.

Dip a spoon in and taste the lemonade base before the Baja Blast goes anywhere near it. This is the easiest point to fix a batch that tastes off.

My second attempt went almost fluorescent because I dumped in too much grenadine at once, guessing instead of measuring. Add color a teaspoon at a time from here on out.

Pour the chilled soda down the side of the pitcher, not straight into the center. This keeps most of the carbonation intact instead of flattening it out.

Watch for a light, even pink color with small bubbles rising steadily. A flat, dull color usually means the soda sat out too long before pouring.

Fill each glass with ice, then pour the mixed drink over the top. Drop in a few frozen strawberries for color and a light chill without watering things down.

Skip crushed ice here, since it melts fast and waters down the citrus notes within minutes.

When the drink tastes a little flat after sitting, add a small splash of club soda right before serving. Stir once, gently, so you don’t lose the new fizz.

Too much club soda waters down the flavor fast, so add it in small splashes only.

Slide a lime wheel onto the rim of each glass. Pink Baja Blast tastes best within the first ten minutes, while it’s still cold and fizzy.