Low Sodium Garden Lemon Ginger Cooler
This bright, garden-fresh drink is everything you want on a warm afternoon — zingy lemon, cooling cucumber, fragrant mint, and a gentle heat from real ginger that lingers in the best possible way. The sweetness comes entirely from a quick maple syrup and ginger simple syrup, which means there's no refined sugar and absolutely no added salt anywhere in the glass. That matters more than you might think, since plenty of store-bought lemonades and flavored sparkling waters sneak in sodium as a flavor enhancer or preservative. Here, every ingredient is whole and recognizable, from the freshly squeezed lemon juice to the muddled mint and cucumber that perfume the base without turning it murky. The sparkling water goes in at the very end, right over ice, so you get that satisfying fizz in every sip rather than a flat pour. It's the kind of drink that looks stunning on a table with its lemon slices and mint sprigs, but honestly takes almost no effort to pull together.
About FigFig is a food discovery app that helps you find foods and recipes that fit your dietary needs. Whether you have food allergies, intolerances, or follow a specific diet, Fig makes it easy to eat with confidence.
Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the ginger simple syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
For the cooler
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4–5 lemons)
- ½ medium english cucumber, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, lightly packed
- 2 cups cold water
- 2 cups sparkling water, chilled
For serving
- 2 cups ice cubes
- 4 lemon slices (optional)
- 4 fresh mint sprigs (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the 1/2 cup water, maple syrup, and sliced ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the maple syrup dissolves. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes, until the syrup is fragrant and the ginger has softened slightly.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the ginger syrup steep for 15 minutes, until the ginger flavor is pronounced. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl or measuring cup, pressing the ginger slices to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids.
Want the full recipe?
Create a Fig account for step-by-step instructions, access to our full recipe library, and more!