Artificial Food Coloring Free Garden Mint Citrus Cooler
Bright, bubbly, and built entirely from real ingredients you can see and smell, this sparkling drink is a genuinely refreshing alternative to the neon-colored bottled stuff lining store shelves. Freshly squeezed orange and lime juice bring natural sweetness and tartness, while a homemade mint simple syrup — steeped right on the stovetop — adds an herbal depth that no artificial flavoring can replicate. Maple syrup stands in as the sweetener here, giving the syrup a subtle warmth that plays beautifully against the citrus. Because every single component is made from scratch, you never have to squint at a label wondering what "color added" actually means. The whole thing comes together in a pitcher, so it's just as easy to make for a crowd as it is for a quiet afternoon at home. Garnished with fresh mint sprigs and lime wedges, it looks stunning without a drop of dye in sight.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the mint simple syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed, plus more for garnish
For the cooler
- 1 cup fresh orange juice (from about 3 medium oranges)
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)
- 3 cups sparkling water, chilled
- 2 cups ice cubes
For serving
- 4 lime wedges (optional)
- 4 small fresh mint sprigs (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the water and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the maple syrup fully dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- 2
Add the mint leaves to the warm syrup and press them gently with a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon until fragrant and slightly bruised. Let the mint steep for 15 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing the leaves to extract as much syrup as possible. Discard the spent mint.
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