Grapevine Covenant — Non-Alcoholic Summer Refresher (Diabetic-Friendly)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the white grape infusion — bruise 1½ cups purple or green grapes lightly with the back of a spoon and macerate with 1 cup cold water and 1 tbsp monk fruit sweetener for 10 minutes in a jar. Strain through a fine sieve pressing down to extract juice; this yields about 1½–2 cups of lightly flavored white grape infusion. Chill.

2. 2

   Sweetener syrup (if using erythritol syrup) — dissolve erythritol or monk fruit sweetener in 2 tbsp warm water; cool. Use 2–3 tbsp total across the batch, adjusting to taste.

3. 3

   Build the base — in a large pitcher combine the chilled white grape infusion (or diluted unsweetened white grape juice), chilled green tea, lemon juice, and sweetener syrup. Stir thoroughly and taste — it should be bright, mildly sweet, not cloying.

4. 4

   Add fruit and herbs — add halved purple and green grapes and mint leaves to the pitcher. Lightly bruise a few mint leaves between your fingers before adding to release aroma.

5. 5

   Chill briefly — refrigerate 10–15 minutes to marry flavors (can be served immediately over ice if short on time).

6. 6

   Serve — fill glasses with large ice cubes, a few grapes and a cucumber slice for each glass. Pour the pitcher mixture, top each glass with sparkling water to maintain effervescence and adjust dilution (about 2–3 oz sparkling per glass). Gently stir once.

7. 7

   Garnish — finish with a sprig of mint and, for the white accent, an edible white flower or a thin curl of lemon peel placed on the rim.

8. 8

   Presentation note — to emphasize the grapevine covenant theme, float a small skewer threaded with alternating purple and green grapes across each glass (lay it across the rim) and use white napkins under the glass.