Walnut Free Peppermint Cocoa Lemonade
This drink sounds like it shouldn't work — chocolate, peppermint, and lemon in the same glass — but somehow it absolutely does. The homemade cocoa syrup is the secret, built from maple syrup, unsweetened cocoa powder, and a touch of peppermint extract simmered together into something rich and aromatic. Straining it through a fine-mesh sieve gives you a silky, smooth base with no gritty bits, so every sip is clean and bright. The fresh lemon juice cuts right through the sweetness, and the sparkling water keeps the whole thing light and fizzy rather than heavy. Stirring it just enough to leave those moody dark streaks in the glass makes it look genuinely stunning, which is a nice bonus when you're serving guests. Everything here is naturally free from tree nuts — no hidden nut-based syrups or store-bought shortcuts that might carry cross-contact risk. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon wheel and you've got a showstopper that takes almost no effort to pull off.
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Learn more →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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