Gelatin Free Cucumber-Basil Salty Mint Lemonade Soda
This sparkling drink is the kind of thing you make once and immediately want to serve at every summer gathering. Fresh cucumber is muddled and strained for pure, clean juice, then layered with a honey-herb syrup steeped with real basil and mint — no shortcuts, no mystery additives. A pinch of sea salt is the quiet genius here, rounding out the brightness of the lemon juice and making every sip taste more alive than the last. Because everything is built from whole, recognizable ingredients, you never have to second-guess what's actually in your glass — no thickeners, stabilizers, or animal-derived setting agents hiding anywhere. The sparkling water goes in last, keeping the fizz lively and the flavors crisp rather than muddled together. It comes together in well under half an hour and looks genuinely stunning with a cucumber slice and a sprig of herbs draped over the rim.
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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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