Nitrate & Nitrite Free Pineapple Ginger Mocktail
Bright, tropical, and just a little spicy, this mocktail is the kind of drink that makes you feel like you're on vacation even on a Tuesday night. The star of the show is a quick homemade ginger syrup made with fresh ginger and maple syrup — no packaged drink mixes, no mystery additives, just real ingredients you can actually pronounce. That matters a lot when you're avoiding preservatives like nitrates and nitrites, which can sneak into flavored syrups, bottled juices, and pre-made cocktail mixers more often than you'd expect. Here, the pineapple juice is pressed from fresh fruit, the lime is squeezed to order, and the bubbles come from plain sparkling water — so every sip is genuinely clean. Shaking it all together over ice gives it a frothy, chilled texture that feels far more special than the effort involved. Finish it with a pineapple slice or a sprig of mint and it looks stunning in the glass, whether you're serving it at a dinner party or just treating yourself on a weeknight.
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Learn more →Ingredients
2 servings
For the ginger syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
For the mocktail
- ¾ cup fresh pineapple juice (from about 1 ½ cups chopped fresh pineapple, pressed or blended and strained)
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 1 cup sparkling water, chilled
- 1 cup ice cubes
For serving
- 2 thin slices fresh pineapple or lime wedges, for garnish (optional)
- 2 small sprigs fresh mint, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the water, maple syrup, and sliced ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the maple syrup dissolves. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes, until the syrup is fragrant and the ginger flavor is pronounced. Remove from the heat and let steep for 10 minutes.
- 2
Pour the ginger syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl or measuring cup, pressing the ginger slices to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes.
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