Coconut Free Peppermint Cocoa Lemonade

Total time40 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time10 min

5.0

(12)

Peppermint cocoa and fresh lemon juice sound like an unlikely pair, but this sparkling drink pulls them together in a way that feels genuinely refreshing and a little unexpected. The homemade peppermint cocoa syrup is the real star — maple syrup, unsweetened cocoa powder, and a touch of peppermint extract get whisked into a smooth, rich base that's completely free of coconut in any form. That matters more than you'd think, since plenty of store-bought flavored syrups and chocolate products sneak in coconut sugar, coconut oil, or coconut-derived emulsifiers. Here, you control every ingredient from start to finish. The syrup gets strained for a silky texture, chilled, then layered over ice with bright fresh lemon juice and sparkling water for a drink that's lightly streaked and visually stunning in the glass. It's the kind of thing you'd order at a trendy café and then be thrilled to realize you can make at home in under 30 minutes. Serve it with a mint sprig and a lemon wheel and it looks like you really tried — even though you really didn't.

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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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