Sesame 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, mint, and lemon in the same glass — but somehow it absolutely does. The homemade peppermint cocoa syrup is the secret weapon here, built from maple syrup, cocoa powder, and a touch of peppermint extract, then strained smooth and chilled before it ever meets the lemonade. That extra step of straining out any undissolved cocoa solids makes the syrup silky and clean, so every sip is balanced rather than gritty. When it hits the sparkling water and fresh lemon juice over ice, you get this gorgeous, lightly streaked effect that looks as impressive as it tastes. Because everything is made from scratch with whole, simple ingredients, there's no need to scan labels for hidden additives or worry about cross-contact from packaged syrups or flavored mixes. It's a genuinely unexpected crowd-pleaser — cool, fizzy, a little indulgent, and bright all at once.

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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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