Artificial Food Coloring Free Cucumber-Basil Salty Mint Lemonade Soda
This refreshing soda gets its gorgeous pale green hue entirely from real ingredients — muddled cucumber, fresh lemon juice, and a honey syrup steeped with actual basil and mint leaves. No dyes, no artificial colorings, no mystery additives hiding in a flavored syrup packet. The color you see in the glass is purely the work of fresh herbs and produce, which makes it as clean to drink as it looks beautiful. Bright, herbal, and just a little salty in the best possible way, it hits that perfect balance between a fancy mocktail and something you could throw together on a weekday afternoon. The honey syrup comes together in minutes on the stovetop, and muddling the cucumber releases a cool, subtly sweet juice that ties everything together. Topped with chilled sparkling water and a sprig of fresh herbs, it's the kind of drink that makes people ask for the recipe before they've even finished the glass.
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Learn more →Ingredients
2 servings
For the honey syrup
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp water
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
For the drink
- ½ cup cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 ½ lemons)
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 cups sparkling water, chilled
- 1 cup ice cubes
For serving
- 2 thin cucumber slices, for garnish (optional)
- 2 small fresh basil or mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the honey and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until the honey fully dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the basil and mint leaves, and stir to submerge them.
- 2
Let the herb syrup steep off the heat for 10 minutes, until fragrant and lightly tinted green.
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