Capsaicin Free Garden Mint Citrus Cooler

Total time30 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time5 min

4.5

(14)

Capsaicin Free Garden Mint Citrus Cooler

Bright, herby, and endlessly refreshing, this sparkling drink is the kind of thing you'll want to keep a pitcher of in the fridge all week long. Fresh orange juice and lime juice bring a tart citrus punch, while a homemade maple mint syrup adds a gentle, floral sweetness that store-bought mixers simply can't match. The syrup comes together in minutes — just warm water and maple syrup, steeped with bruised fresh mint leaves until fragrant and golden. Because every single ingredient here is naturally free of capsaicin and any heat-producing compounds, there's zero guesswork about what's going into your glass. That matters more than you'd think, since flavored syrups and bottled citrus drinks sometimes sneak in unexpected spice blends or "natural flavors" that can be a real problem. Finishing with chilled sparkling water keeps everything light and effervescent, and a garnish of lime wedges and fresh mint makes it feel genuinely special without any extra effort.

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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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