Rice Free Cucumber Mint Sparkling Cooler
This sparkling drink is the kind of thing you make once and immediately want to serve at every warm-weather gathering. Fresh cucumber is blended and strained into a clean, cool base, then brightened with real lime juice and a homemade mint syrup built from maple syrup and fresh leaves — no artificial flavors, no mystery syrups, just ingredients you can actually see and taste. The steeping step is what makes the mint syrup sing; those 20 minutes of infusion pull out a floral, herbal depth that bottled versions simply can't match. Everything comes together in a pitcher, finished with a gentle pour of chilled sparkling water so the bubbles stay lively all the way to the glass. It's naturally free of grains in any form, which means it fits easily into a wide range of eating styles without any substitutions or workarounds. Serve it over ice with a lime slice and a sprig of fresh mint, and it looks like something from a boutique café — but it costs almost nothing to make at home.
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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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