Craft this refreshing sparkling mint mocktail in under 10 minutes with just six easy ingredients! Whether you're here for a dry January drink recipe or a spectacular cold summer beverage to sip on during warmer days, this one hits the spot.
And if you enjoy this mock-tail aka tea-tail, you'll also love my minty hot toddy and should check out my iced mint matcha, too!
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Are mocktails healthy?
The short answer is that it depends. The absence of alcohol makes a mocktail more healthy in comparison to a traditional cocktail but mocktails can have a lot of sugar and are sometimes made with artificial colors and flavorings.
This easy mint cooler mocktail with lemon combines colorful and flavorful natural ingredients without a lot of sugar for a pretty healthy mocktail recipe.
We love functional mocktails around here, including my grapefruit shrub mocktail and electrolyte coconut water mocktail. And don't sleep on the bubbly turmeric ginger mocktail!
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple Ingredients - You probably have most if not all of these ingredients on deck and each one is typically found at the grocery store or on Amazon.
Balanced Flavor Profile - If you're like me, you're sick and tired of pulling up to bars and restaurants only to be offered watered down juice for zero-proof beverage options. This is not that!
This mint crush mocktail is essentially a smash cocktail with no alcohol and you can adjust any of the flavor elements to build the taste to your preference. You'll taste cooling freshness from the mint with bright sour notes from the lemon and the ginger honey and digestive bitters round out the flavor profile.
If you like mojito mocktail riffs, check out my strawberry mint limeade and ginger ale mojito mocktail, too!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Mint Tea is the base of this drink and one of my favorites. Feel free to use the mint tea of your choice. Loose leaf tea works just as well as a tea bag here.
Honey Ginger Syrup is honey infused with fresh ginger and thinned out, which makes it easy to mix into cold liquid so it adds not only flavor but convenience to this recipe. I make a jar in about 20 minutes then keep it in the fridge for mixing up all kinds of drinks throughout the week.
Digestive Bitters add to the healthy factor because they support efficient digestion. Adding bitters to a mocktail is just like adding to an alcoholic cocktail. It's considered the seasoning of the drink and truly finishes the flavor.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Apple Cider Vinegar can help balance out any blood sugar spike (NIH) so if that's something you're mindful of, consider adding a splash to this drink!
Sweetener - You can make this mocktail vegan with maple syrup or agave nectar instead of honey syrup. Granulated sugars or sugar substitutes, including coconut sugar, will also work--just be sure to shake really well to dissolve them.
Citrus - I make this drink with lemon but you can absolutely substitute make a mint lime mocktail or even use sour orange, if needed. Fresh citrus juice is best.
Sparkling Water - Use whichever brand of sparkling water you like--the bubbles make this a really refreshing mocktail for spring! Topo Chico or other mineral waters work and so does club soda or seltzer. If you want to add extra flavor, try an Italian soda.
How to Make a Mint Based Mocktail
Step One: Muddle the mint, lemon, and honey in a cocktail shaker to express the juice and oils.
Step Two: Add the tea, digestive bitters, and ice then shake shake shake!
Pro Tip #1: If you don't have a muddler, the end of a wooden kitchen spoon makes a great muddler substitute.
Pro Tip #2: If you want to add other fruits to this drink, add them before muddling. strawberries or raspberries are a great option to make a mint berry mocktail.
Step Three: Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice.
Step Four: Top up with fizzy water.
Pro Tip #3: Double strain through a mesh strainer to keep out any lemon pulp and tiny piece of mint. This is optional but provides the smoothest restaurant-quality finish to your homemade mocktail.
Step Five: Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a slice of lemon.
Pro Tip #4: Add a sustainable glass straw if you want to get fancy!
Quick Video Demonstration
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make this recipe up to three days ahead of time. Mix up all the ingredients, except for the fizzy water. Reserve that until just before serving.
Add about 25 mint leaves, six ounces honey syrup, eight dashes of bitters, and three lemons (cut into wedges) to a pitcher then muddle. Fill halfway with ice then stir in 32 ounces of brewed mint tea followed by about 16 ounces sparkling water. Serves four.
Is this mocktail good for PCOS?
You know I'm your girl for that! When asking what to drink to balance your hormones, you probably hear a lot about spearmint tea and its health benefits. Spearmint tea is well known for decreasing testosterone and androgens (NIH), which can help alleviate common symptoms women with PCOS deal with such as hormonal acne and facial hair.
The spearmint tea in this recipe counts towards the two cup per day recommendation for PCOS symptoms, though I recommend adding a splash of ACV and/or pairing with a protein packed snack for blood sugar balance to make this a fully hormone friendly mocktail.
Check out my spearmint matcha latte and iced spearmint tea along with lots of PCOS-friendly recipes!
More Favorite Zero Proof Drink Recipes
I hope this crafted mint tea mocktail hits the spot for you. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin the recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Healthy Mint Mocktail
Equipment
- 1 muddler
- 1 mesh strainer optional
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 6 mint leaves
- 1 ½ ounce honey ginger syrup
- 2 dashes digestive bitters
- 8 ounces brewed spearmint tea room temperature
- ice
- sparkling water
Instructions
- Cut lemon into quarters then add lemon pieces and fresh mint leaves to cocktail shaker and muddle to express oils and juice.1 lemon, 6 mint leaves
- Add honey ginger syrup, digestive bitters, tea, and ice to shaker. Seal shaker and shake vigorously to liquid is chilled (about 5-10 seconds).1 ½ ounce honey ginger syrup, 2 dashes digestive bitters, 8 ounces brewed spearmint tea, ice
- Fill a highball glass halfway with ice. Strain or double strain (see notes) shaken mixture into glass over fresh ice.sparkling water
- Top up the glass with sparkling water. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and lemon peel, if desired. Serve cold.
Video
Notes
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Peel four inches fresh ginger root and slice into small pieces no more than ¼ inch thick.
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Add ginger to saucepan with water and honey over medium-high heat and stir until honey is dissolved.
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Bring mixture to a boil then remove from heat. Steep honey ginger syrup for at least 30 minutes, to allow flavor to infuse. Makes about 16 ounces.
Britney Brown says
I’ve been looking for a good Mocktail to enjoy during my pregnancy and I finally found one that I love! This one is so refreshing and such a great way to keep cool on hot days.
Jen Sim says
I’ve cut down my alcohol intake recently and I have been searching for mocktail recipes. This ginger mocktail ticked all the boxes. This will be my new go-to recipe!
Robin says
I have been intentionally cutting back on my alcohol consumption, so it was a pleasant surprise to come across this mocktail. Who knew that ginger and mint would meld together so beautifully? This tasty drink will be cooling me off all summer long.
Jessica says
I made these for a friend's baby shower and they were a huge hit! So refreshing and everyone was raving about this flavor combo.
Camille says
Hey Jazz, I tried your healthy sparkling mint mocktail and it was a total game-changer! My friends and I loved how refreshing and guilt-free it was. Thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe, I can't wait to try more of your creations!xx
Marta says
Sooooo, I'm detoxing for a trip to Jamaica in a month and made this sparkling mint mocktail to keep me from breaking my "no soda diet." Not only does it taste healthy, it's refreshing and the fizz satisfied my craving for soda. Perfect as a summertime refresher!