Ah, these long hot summer days in New England. The sound of grasshoppers in the fields and the feeling of sand beneath my feet bring back memories of long ago summers. The year that I turned sixteen I got a job as a waitress in a Liggetts Drug Store. Yes, we used to call pharmacies, drug stores back then.

My parents insisted that we all work in High School. They wanted us to learn the value of a dollar and the value of a good education. Sunday was the slowest day of the week for the lunch counter, so I was the only one working. I used to make BLT’s, grilled cheese, tuna or chicken salad sandwiches and hamburgers.  What I enjoyed the most was making the soda fountain drinks. My favorite drink was and still is the Lime Rickey.

As the years passed and I became a Mom it was always fun on a hot summer’s day to take out the limes and soda water and have a Lime Rickey tea party with our three daughters. We would  sit on the porch and have Lime Rickey, tea and cookies. Now that is happiness.

We have a little granddaughter who lives in California. The other day her mother was telling me Delaney is the “Queen of the tea party.” She and her 2-year-old little brother will sit at their child sized table with her tea set. They will offer each other make-believe sugar cubes and cream, and chat.

The following is a New England twist on that well used Lime Rickey recipe from long ago.

Cape Lime Rickey Recipe

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• ½  lime quartered
• 4 oz. fresh lime juice
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 ½  cup crushed ice
• A few crushed New England blueberries
• 4 oz club soda

Directions:

Crush a couple of the lime quarters in the bottom of the glass. In a blender mix the fresh lime juice, sugar and crushed ice. Fill glasses about half way with the ice and lime mixture. Then place a few of the crushed blueberries in each glass and add the club soda.

Serve immediately.

Note: For a nice summer afternoon drink add a bit of gin.

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While all of the bedchambers at the Palmer House have their own romantic charm suitable for relaxation after the most wonderful day of adventures sampling Cape Cod cuisine, we recommend the Harriet Beecher Stowe room, the Theodore Roosevelt room or the Emily Dickinson room. These rooms feature comfortable king beds, fireplaces, jetted tubs for a relaxing stay before and after your day.>