Nutmeg Free Cucumber-Basil Salty Mint Lemonade Soda
This drink is the kind of thing you make once and immediately want to serve at every warm-weather gathering. Fresh cucumber is muddled and strained for pure, clean juice, then layered with a honey syrup steeped in real basil and mint leaves — the result is floral, cooling, and just a little savory from a pinch of sea salt. That tiny hit of salt is the secret weapon here, rounding out the bright lemon and making every sip taste more alive. Every single ingredient in this recipe is naturally free of warming spices, so there's no label-scanning or substitution stress involved — just straightforward, feel-good cooking. The sparkling water goes in last and keeps everything effervescent and light, making it feel genuinely special without any complicated technique. It comes together in well under half an hour and looks stunning with a thin cucumber slice and a sprig of fresh herbs resting on 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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