Hazelnut Free Garden Lemon Ginger Cooler
This bright, garden-fresh drink is everything you want on a warm day — zippy lemon, cooling cucumber, fragrant mint, and a gentle kick of ginger all working together in one gorgeous glass. The homemade ginger simple syrup is the real secret here: simmering fresh ginger slices with maple syrup coaxes out a deep, spicy-sweet flavor that no store-bought mixer can match. A quick muddle of cucumber and mint releases just enough aroma to make the whole pitcher smell like a spa, and the combination of still and sparkling water gives it a lively, effervescent finish. Because every ingredient is straightforward and whole-food, there's zero guesswork about what's actually in your glass — no mystery flavorings, no shared-facility concerns, just clean and vibrant produce. It's easy to scale up for a crowd, and the cooler base can be prepped ahead so you're just pouring over ice when guests arrive. Garnish with a lemon slice and a sprig of mint and it looks almost too pretty to drink — almost.
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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.
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