Artificial Food Coloring Free Cranberry Ginger Cooler
Bright, tangy, and beautifully fizzy, this cranberry ginger cooler is the kind of drink that looks like it came from a craft cocktail bar but comes together right in your own kitchen. The deep ruby color comes entirely from real, unsweetened cranberry juice — no dyes, no artificial anything, just pure fruit doing what it does best. A homemade ginger syrup made with fresh ginger and maple syrup gives the drink a warm, spicy backbone that balances the tartness of the cranberry and the brightness of fresh lime juice perfectly. Sparkling water adds the effervescence at the end, poured slowly so every glass stays beautifully bubbly. Store-bought flavored drinks and sodas are notorious for sneaking in synthetic colorings, so making your own from scratch is genuinely the easiest way to sidestep that concern entirely. Fresh mint and thin lime slices make it look stunning for guests, though it's just as satisfying straight from the pitcher on a regular Tuesday. This one is a keeper for anyone who wants a vibrant, festive drink without a single questionable ingredient on the label.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the ginger syrup
- 1 cup 100% cranberry juice (unsweetened)
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
For the cooler
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 2 cups sparkling water
- 2 cups ice cubes
For serving
- 4 sprigs fresh mint (optional)
- 4 thin lime slices (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the water, maple syrup, and sliced ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the maple syrup dissolves. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until the syrup is fragrant and the ginger flavor is pronounced.
- 2
Remove from the heat and let the ginger syrup steep for 15 minutes, until cooled to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing the ginger slices to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids.
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