Chestnut Free Peppermint Cocoa Lemonade

Total time40 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time10 min

5.0

(12)

This drink sounds like it shouldn't work — chocolate, peppermint, and lemon in the same glass — but somehow it absolutely does. The homemade cocoa-peppermint syrup is the secret, built from cocoa powder, maple syrup, and a touch of peppermint extract simmered together into something rich and aromatic. Strained smooth and chilled before mixing, it swirls beautifully through the sparkling water and fresh lemon juice without fully blending in, giving every sip a slightly different balance of tart, sweet, and minty. The whole thing comes together with pantry staples and fresh lemons, so there's no hunting down specialty ingredients or worrying about what's lurking in a store-bought flavored syrup. It's bold enough to feel like a treat but bright and fizzy enough to be genuinely refreshing. Serve it over ice with a mint sprig and lemon slice and it looks like something from a cocktail bar — no effort required.

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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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