This cherry lime phosphate ($3.95), like the cherry lime rickey, is a New York drink of yore. The rickey, which in some corners of the city has held its place on the menu as an effective countermeasure against spicy food, can be cloying; the lime adds tartness but, sometimes, not enough bite. The phosphate gets its edge from a dash of phosphoric acid, which you'll find in Coke and Pepsi, too. It's less sweet, so as not to distract from the full cherry flavor. That maraschino pales in more than one regard.
Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain
513 Henry St. (at Sackett St.), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
718-522-6260
www.BrooklynFarmacy.blogspot.com