Artificial Food Coloring Free Garden Strawberry Lime Cooler
That deep pink color in this cooler comes entirely from real strawberries simmered down into a gorgeous, jewel-toned syrup — no dyes, no shortcuts, just fruit doing what fruit does best. Fresh lime zest and juice cut through the sweetness with a bright, citrusy punch that makes every sip feel genuinely refreshing. The syrup is strained smooth and combined with sparkling water, so the final drink looks like something you'd pay too much for at a trendy café. For anyone navigating artificial dye concerns, store-bought flavored drinks and mixes are a minefield of synthetic colorings, which makes a from-scratch recipe like this one such a relief. Maple syrup stands in as the sweetener, keeping everything clean and naturally sourced from start to finish. A sprig of mint and a lime wheel on the rim make it feel festive enough for guests without a single ingredient you'd need to second-guess.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the strawberry-lime syrup
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- 1 tbsp lime zest (from about 2 limes)
For the cooler
- ½ cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
- 3 cups sparkling water, chilled
- 2 cups ice cubes
For serving
- 4 fresh mint sprigs (optional)
- 4 lime wheels or wedges (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the maple syrup, water, strawberries, and lime zest in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries soften and begin to break down and the syrup turns a deep pink, about 4–5 minutes.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mixture cool for 15 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing the solids firmly with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
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