Artificial Food Coloring Free Sparkling Grape Mint Agua Fresca
Bright, bubbly, and genuinely refreshing, this agua fresca is the kind of drink that makes you wonder why you ever reached for a bottle of something artificial in the first place. Real grapes blended with fresh mint, lime juice, and a touch of maple syrup deliver all the color and sweetness you could want — no dyes, no mystery ingredients, just fruit doing what fruit does best. Store-bought grape drinks and flavored sparkling waters are notorious for sneaking in synthetic colorings, so making your own from scratch is a genuinely satisfying workaround. The straining step is key: it gives you a silky, jewel-toned base that looks stunning in a glass without any additives helping it along. A gentle pour of chilled sparkling water right before serving keeps the fizz lively and the whole thing feeling a little celebratory. It works beautifully for kids' parties, backyard hangs, or any time you want something that looks fancy but comes together in minutes.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 3 cups seedless green or red grapes
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup, or more to taste
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 cups sparkling water, chilled
- 1 pinch fine salt
For serving
- ice cubes, for serving
- fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)
- lime slices, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the grapes, mint leaves, lime juice, maple syrup, cold water, and salt in a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 45 seconds.
- 2
Pour the blended mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a pitcher, pressing the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
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