Black Pepper Free Sparkling Grape Mint Lemonade
This sparkling sipper is bright, refreshing, and layered with flavor — fresh lemon juice brings the tang, grape juice adds a deep, fruity sweetness, and a homemade maple-mint syrup ties everything together in the most fragrant way. The syrup is genuinely simple to make: just a quick simmer, a steep, and a strain, and you end up with something that tastes far more special than the effort involved. Because every ingredient here is naturally free of irritating spices, this is a drink you can pour confidently for anyone who needs to avoid hidden seasonings — no label-checking required. The sparkling water goes in last and gets the gentlest stir, so you keep all that fizz intact right up until the first sip. Served over ice with a lemon slice and a sprig of fresh mint, it looks stunning on a table and tastes like something from a fancy brunch spot. It's equally at home at a summer cookout, a baby shower, or just a Tuesday afternoon when you want something a little more elevated 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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