Celebrating Summer with Whole Earth Stevia Leaf & Monk Fruit Sweetener...Featuring Sugar Free Blueberry-Basil Lime Sparkler #mocktail #sugarfree #stevia #monkfruit #wholeearthsweetener

Summer is in full swing, so we're always looking for fun beverages to cool us off -- and we prefer our beverages to have no added sugar and very few calories! We've been exclusively using Whole Earth Sweetener Co.'s Stevia Leaf & Monk Fruit zero-calorie natural sweetener blend for the past year or so. It tastes great, with absolutely zero weird aftertaste that most sugar substitutes have. It's great in cereal...hot or cold tea and coffee...and other fun drink creations! I used this blend of stevia and monk fruit to create my Sugar Free Blueberry-Basil Lime Sparkler. It's a perfect balance of sweet and tart...and the off-the-charts hot pink-purple color is so pretty! This fruity mocktail features a puree of organic in-season blueberries, freshly squeezed lime juice, Whole Earth Stevia & Monk Fruit sweetener, and fresh basil from my garden. The purple puree is added to a decorative carafe, then spring water and sparkling water are added...and everything is given a good stir. From there, the sparkler chills in the fridge until it's time to pour over ice and serve. I made this refreshing beverage to go with an at-home BBQ dinner last weekend...and it was a perfect refresher. This beverage is definitely husband approved--it's definitely going into my regular rotation the rest of the Summer!

Sugar Free Blueberry-Lime Sparkler

adapted from Whole Earth's Sweetener Co.

Ingredients (makes 5-6 servings):

• 1 cup cold spring water
• 4 cups chilled sparkling water 
• 1 1/3 cups organic blueberries
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 36 packets Whole Earth Stevia Leaf & Monk Fruit sweetener
• 5-6 large basil leaves chopped

Directions:

Step 1: Add the blueberries, lime juice, and chopped basil to a blender container. Remove the Whole Earth Stevia Leaf & Monk Fruit sweetener from the packets and add to the container. Blend until a puree forms and the sweetener is dissolved. Carefully pour the puree into a serving carafe.

Step 2: Add the spring water to the carafe and stir to combine. Carefully add the sparkling water in batches, because it will bubble up. As the bubbles dissolve, add more of the sparkling water. After all the sparkling water is added to the carafe, chill the finished beverage until ready to serve -- at least 2-3 hours is best to let the flavors develop.

Step 3: To serve, add ice cubes to decorative glasses and pour -- I love using stemless wine glasses! Feel free to add slices of lime to the rims of each glass and/or float some frozen blueberries on top. Colorful straws are a festive touch too!

Y'all...this Summer mocktail is FABULOUS!! It's fizzy, a little tart, a little fruity sweet...and the basil provides an unexpected herbal note in the background. What you won't taste is a weird chemical aftertaste that some sugar substitutes provide. The fact that this refreshing mocktail has ZERO added sugar makes this beverage ideal for diabetics...or those trying to lose weight. To make this an adults-only cocktail, simply sub in chilled sweet sparkling Moscato for the sparkling water -- it'll be like a Mimosa on steroids!

To purchase Whole Earth Stevia Leaf & Monk Fruit sweetener -- or any other Whole Earth product -- at a store near you, simply visit the Where to Buy tab on their website. 

Disclosure: Whole Earth Sweetener Co. provided me with product to facilitate recipe development for this post. All opinions provided are solely my own.