Barley Free Turmeric-Cinnamon Berry Basil Spritzer
This vibrant sparkling drink is the kind of thing you'd pay twelve dollars for at a trendy café, and it genuinely tastes like it. A homemade berry syrup simmered with turmeric, cinnamon, honey, and a pinch of black pepper forms the deeply colored, warmly spiced base — and the combination is way more interesting than anything you'd find in a bottle. Fresh basil gets muddled right in the glass, adding an herbal brightness that plays beautifully against the tart lemon and sweet berries. The whole thing comes together with chilled sparkling water poured over ice, so the final result is fizzy, fragrant, and genuinely refreshing. Every single ingredient here is naturally grain-free, so there's no need to scrutinize labels or worry about hidden additives sneaking in through flavored syrups or pre-made mixers. It's an impressive drink to serve at a gathering, but honestly just as satisfying to make for yourself on a slow afternoon.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the berry syrup
- 1 cup mixed berries (fresh or frozen — blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries)
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
For assembling
- 12 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- 2 cups ice
- 3 cups sparkling water, chilled
For serving
- lemon slices, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the berries, water, honey, turmeric, cinnamon, and black pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the honey, then cook, stirring occasionally and lightly pressing the berries against the pan, until the berries have broken down and the syrup is deep red-purple and slightly thickened, about 8–10 minutes.
- 2
Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Pour the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof pitcher or measuring cup, pressing the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes, or speed it up by setting the pitcher in a bowl of ice water.
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