Name: Citrus Mint Crush
Ingredients: 1-1/4 cups cold water; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 cup tightly packed mint leaves; 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (no pith); 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice; 3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice; 2 cups lemon-flavored sparkling water; Crushed ice; Mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

Why it works: Orange and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Citrus Mint Crush

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups cold water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup tightly packed mint leaves
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (no pith)
3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cups lemon-flavored sparkling water
Crushed ice
Mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

Directions

Make the syrup

Add water and sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium‑high heat until sugar completely dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Coarsely chop mint leaves and set aside.

Mix and chill

Add the cooled sugar‑water to a medium sized bowl then stir in mint, orange zest, orange juice and lemon juice. Cover bowl and refrigerate until chilled through.
Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large pitcher.
Discard remaining orange zest and mint leaves.
Stir in sparkling water.

Serve

Serve over crushed ice.
Garnish with a mint sprig.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

123Calories

2 gProtein

0 gFat

31 gCarbs

Counts 3 of 5 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 3 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Water	not in our table	0
Peppermint	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Orange + lemontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together10,634 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Mint + lemontop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,998 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Mint + orangetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together549 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together53,532 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar + orangetop 20% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together19,212 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Sugar: Dissolves into the water to sweeten the drink and balance the citrus acidity.
Mint leaves: Adds aromatic oils that give the drink its fresh minty flavor.
Orange zest: Contributes fragrant citrus oils that add aroma and flavor.
Orange juice: Provides sweetness and fruity citrus flavor with body.
Lemon juice: Adds tart acidity that brightens and balances the sweetness.
Lemon-flavored sparkling water: Adds carbonation for lightness and a crisp, effervescent texture.

The step that matters

Cooling the sugar-water completely before mixing. Adding warm syrup to the juices and mint can dull fresh citrus aroma and wilt the mint, and it warms the drink before chilling. Fully dissolving the sugar first keeps the syrup smooth and evenly sweet.

Swap the mint

The recipe marks mint as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, orange, lemon):

Cinnamonfits better
Gingerfits better
Peppermintfits better
Mintthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, orange, lemon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Citrus Mint Crush