Pecan Free Cucumber Mint Sparkling Cooler
This sparkling cooler is the kind of drink that makes a hot afternoon feel instantly more civilized. Fresh cucumber is blended and strained into a clean, pale green base, then brightened with real lime juice and a homemade mint simple syrup sweetened with maple syrup instead of refined sugar. The whole thing gets a lift from chilled sparkling water right before serving, so every glass is lively and refreshing without being cloying. Because it's built entirely from fresh produce, citrus, and pantry staples, there's zero guesswork about what's actually in it — no mystery flavorings, no shared-facility concerns, just genuinely clean ingredients. The mint syrup steeping step is a small effort that pays off big, giving the drink a floral, cooling depth that bottled mixers simply can't replicate. Serve it over ice with a few mint leaves and a lime slice and it looks like something you'd pay twelve dollars for at a rooftop bar.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the mint simple syrup
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed, plus more for garnish
For the cucumber base
- 1 medium english cucumber (about 12 oz), peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 1 cup cold water
To finish
- 2 cups sparkling water, chilled
For serving
- ice cubes, for serving
- lime slices, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the maple syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the syrup dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the mint leaves, and stir to submerge. Let steep for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl, pressing the leaves to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the spent mint. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
- 2
Add the chopped cucumber and 1 cup cold water to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour through the fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids.
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