How To Duplicate Trader Joe's Jalapeño Limeade In The Off-Season

Lemonade is always a classic warm-weather beverage, but dare we say limeade is the true drink of the summer? After all, limeade is the perfect sweet-and-sour refreshment if you find lemonade to be overly sugary. And just like its lemon counterpart, it can be made in a plethora of ways: With mint, cherry, raspberry, basil, and ginger, just to name a few.

If you've ever made a trip to Trader Joe's to get your limeade fix, you've undoubtedly left the store satisfied. Not only does the chain sell Fresh Squeezed Limeade, which boasts not-from-concentrate lime juice and a short ingredient list, but it also offers bottled Organic Jalapeño Limeade, which is a mix of smooth, sweet, and spicy flavors that can pair well with tequila or other boozy drinks. The devastating part? Like many products at Trader Joe's, the Organic Jalapeño Limeade is a seasonal beverage and is typically only in stock in the late spring and summer. 

Luckily, you don't have to wait until then to kick off your summer refreshments, as this zesty beverage is easy (and fun) to replicate at home.

If you're craving a spicy and sour drink to mix with your tequila — or just to sip by itself — jalapeño limeade is fairly easy to whip up at home. But just dropping some jalapeño slices in limeade won't do the trick; The key here is to infuse them into a simple syrup. In its most basic form, simple syrup is just sugar and water, heated together until the sugar dissolves.

To add some spice, all you need to do is throw jalapeño pieces in the pot while it's cooking. The best part? According to Liquor.com, your infused syrup will keep in a jar in the fridge for up to a month, which means you can have a steady supply of jalapeño limeade at home, even if Trader Joe's takes its sweet time bringing the drink back to store shelves.

As long as you've got limes, water, and your spicy concoction, you'll have all you need to make this Trader Joe's dupe in your kitchen. And feel free to switch it up — cilantro, salt, and agave are also delicious in homemade limeade and jalapeño syrup can even be added to lemonade to give it a kick.