Wheat 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 syrup is built from maple syrup, unsweetened cocoa powder, and a splash of peppermint extract, giving it a rich, minty depth that plays beautifully against the bright acidity of fresh lemon juice. Every ingredient here is naturally free of wheat and grain-based additives, so there's no label-scanning or substitution stress involved. The sparkling water keeps things light and fizzy, and the recipe specifically calls for leaving the drink "lightly streaked" rather than fully mixed — that little detail makes each sip slightly different and genuinely fun to drink. It's the kind of thing you'd serve at a summer gathering and watch people try to figure out what's in it. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon slice and it looks like something from a craft cocktail bar, no special equipment required beyond a saucepan and a strainer.

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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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