BHA & BHT Free Sparkling Grape Mint Lemonade
This refreshing drink is everything a summer sipper should be — bright, bubbly, and layered with flavor from real ingredients you can actually trust. Many store-bought lemonades and flavored sparkling drinks sneak in synthetic preservatives like BHA and BHT to extend shelf life, so making your own from scratch is the cleanest way to go. Here, fresh-squeezed lemon juice brings the tartness, 100% grape juice adds a deep, fruity sweetness, and a homemade maple-mint syrup ties it all together with an herbal lift that feels genuinely special. The syrup comes together in minutes — just a quick simmer and a steep — and the whole drink is assembled in one pitcher with no complicated steps. Sparkling water gives it that celebratory fizz without any artificial additives, and the result is something that looks gorgeous in a glass and tastes even better. It's the kind of drink that works for a backyard gathering, a weekend brunch, or honestly just a Tuesday when you want something a little more exciting than plain water.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the mint syrup
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
For the lemonade
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4–5 lemons)
- 1 cup 100% red sugar or purple grape juice, no added sugar
- 3 cups sparkling water, chilled
- 2 cups ice
For serving
- 4 fresh mint sprigs (optional)
- 4 lemon slices (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the maple syrup and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the maple syrup fully dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the mint leaves, and let steep for 15 minutes until the syrup is fragrant and pale green.
- 2
Pour the mint syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl or measuring cup, pressing the mint leaves gently to extract the liquid. Discard the spent mint.
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