Artificial Food Coloring Free Raspberry Lemon Mocktail
That gorgeous deep-red color in this mocktail comes entirely from real raspberries cooked down into a silky homemade syrup — no dyes, no artificial anything. Store-bought flavored drinks and cocktail mixers are notorious for sneaking in synthetic colorings to achieve that vivid hue, so making your own syrup from scratch is a genuinely satisfying workaround. Fresh lemon juice brings a bright, tart backbone, while maple syrup adds just enough sweetness to balance everything out. The sparkling water keeps it lively and refreshing, and the whole drink looks stunning in the glass without a drop of anything artificial. It's the kind of thing you'd happily serve at a party or a weekend brunch, and nobody would ever guess it took less than 30 minutes to pull together. Garnish with a lemon slice and a sprig of mint and it honestly looks like something off a cocktail menu.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the raspberry syrup
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup maple syrup
For the mocktail
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
- 3 cups sparkling water, chilled
- 2 cups ice cubes
For serving
- 4 lemon slices, for garnish (optional)
- 4 fresh mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the raspberries, water, and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and pressing the berries against the side of the pan with a spoon, until the raspberries have completely broken down and the liquid is deep red and slightly thickened, about 6–8 minutes.
- 2
Pour the raspberry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a heatproof bowl or measuring cup, pressing firmly on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much syrup as possible. Discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes, or speed it up by setting the bowl over an ice bath.
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