Raw Mint Leaf Syrup and Mint Lemonade

Ingredients

• 2 cup fresh mint leaves (washed, removed from stems, and roughly chopped)
• 2 cup white granulated sugar (equal parts to chopped mint leaves)
• 3 lemon juice (freshly squeezed from 2-3 lemons)
• water (a little if needed to help dissolve sugar)
• ice (for serving)
• 1 lemon juice (for one glass of lemonade)
• 1 cup sparkling water (per serving)

Steps

1. 1

   Wash the fresh mint and remove the leaves from the stems.

2. 2

   Roughly chop the mint leaves to help them release their aroma.

3. 3

   To a clean glass jar, layer equal parts of the chopped mint leaves and white granulated sugar.

4. 4

   Add a very generous drizzle of lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons) into the jar.

5. 5

   Press the mixture down gently with a spoon.

6. 6

   Close the lid and place the jar in the fridge to sit for 48 to 72 hours.

7. 7

   Every day, give the mixture a quick mix. You will notice it slowly starts to liquefy as the sugar macerates the leaves.

8. 8

   The syrup is ready once the sugar has completely dissolved and the liquid turns a light green color.

9. 9

   Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the leaves and store the finished syrup in the fridge.

10. 10

    To make Mint Lemonade, add ice to a big cup.

11. 11

    Add the juice of one lemon and a portion of the prepared mint leaf syrup to the cup.

12. 12

    Fill the rest of the cup with sparkling water, mix well, and enjoy.

Notes

Use white granulated sugar as any other sugar will alter the taste of the mint syrup. If it takes longer to macerate, it’s usually because of too much sugar—you can add a little water to help dissolve the sugar.

Nutrition per serving

• drink
• syrup
• beverage
• vegetarian
• vegan
• gluten-free
• no-cook
• refreshing