Beef Free Peppermint Cocoa Lemonade

Total time40 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time10 min

5.0

(12)

This drink is a genuinely unexpected combination that somehow works beautifully — cool peppermint, rich cocoa, and bright citrus all swirling together in a single glass. The homemade peppermint cocoa syrup is the real star here, built from maple syrup, unsweetened cocoa powder, and a touch of peppermint extract, then strained smooth and chilled before it ever meets the lemonade. Sparkling water brings the whole thing to life with a fizzy lift, and the trick of stirring just enough to leave the drink lightly streaked means every sip tastes a little different. It's completely plant-based by nature, with no animal products anywhere in the ingredient list, so it fits effortlessly into a beef-free lifestyle without any substitutions or workarounds needed. The fresh lemon juice keeps it tasting vibrant rather than heavy, balancing the chocolate notes in a way that feels almost fancy without any real effort. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon slice and it looks like something you'd pay too much for at a trendy café — except you made it at home in under half an hour.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the peppermint cocoa syrup

½ cup water
½ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ tsp peppermint extract
1 pinch fine salt

For the lemonade

½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
3 cups sparkling water, chilled
2 cups ice

For serving

4 fresh mint sprigs (optional)
4 lemon slices (optional)

Instructions

1
Combine the water, maple syrup, and cocoa powder in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the cocoa is fully dissolved and the mixture comes to a gentle simmer, about 3–4 minutes.
2
Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the peppermint extract and salt. Pour the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof container to remove any undissolved cocoa solids.

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