Shellfish Free Strawberry Basil Sparkling Cooler
Fresh strawberries and fragrant basil come together in a homemade syrup that makes this sparkling cooler feel genuinely special — the kind of drink you'd pay too much for at a fancy brunch spot. Cooking the berries down with maple syrup and water coaxes out their natural sweetness, while a slow steep with fresh basil leaves adds an herbal, almost floral depth that store-bought syrups just can't replicate. A squeeze of lemon juice brightens everything up before the chilled syrup meets a generous pour of sparkling water over ice. The result is refreshing, lightly sweet, and just sophisticated enough to impress guests without requiring any bartending skills. Every ingredient here is straightforward and plant-based, so there's zero guesswork about what's in your glass. Garnish with a halved strawberry and a sprig of basil and it looks as good as it tastes.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the strawberry basil syrup
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 10 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
For the cooler
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 cups sparkling water, chilled
- 2 cups ice cubes
For serving
- 4 fresh strawberries, halved (optional)
- 4 fresh basil sprigs (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the strawberries, maple syrup, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries have softened and released their juices and the liquid is lightly syrupy, about 5 minutes.
- 2
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the basil leaves and press them gently into the warm syrup with a muddler or the back of a spoon. Let the mixture steep for 10 minutes, until the syrup is fragrant with basil.
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