Emulsifier Free Cucumber-Basil Salty Mint Lemonade Soda
This drink is the kind of thing you make once and immediately want every single day of summer. Fresh cucumber is muddled and strained for pure, clean juice, then layered with a honey syrup steeped in real basil and mint leaves — no concentrates, no additives, nothing processed. A pinch of sea salt is the secret move here, rounding out the brightness of the lemon juice and making every sip taste more alive. Because the whole thing is built from scratch with whole ingredients, there are zero emulsifiers or stabilizers hiding anywhere in the glass. Sparkling water gives it that satisfying fizz without any of the mystery ingredients you sometimes find in flavored sodas or store-bought mixers. The result is cooling, herby, a little salty, and genuinely refreshing in a way that feels almost too good to be this simple.
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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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