4 DIY Cocktail Syrups With Classic Holiday Flavours
Cocktail ingredients during the holiday season are more than just sodas and juices. What adds that wintry, snowy, holiday-like festive twist into cocktail and mocktail concoctions are syrups laced with the season’s touch. Mastering these homemade syrups is useful twice over because not only can they be added to cocktails, but syrups presented aesthetically can also work as excellent holiday presents. Prepare sweet, sour and tangy holiday syrups using precise ingredient proportions and discover how to extend their shelf life while exploring their uses beyond cocktail craft – coupled with bottling suggestions for easy gift-giving.
Gingerbread Syrup
Holidays are incomplete without gingerbread syrup lacing hot chocolate or a mudslide cocktail. With a caramelised sweetness and subtly sharp flavours, this syrup works well as a flavour accent in whisky highballs, hot toddies and chai lattes. Drizzle it over holiday pancakes and brush it over cakes and pies too, especially when you prepare and store a bottle that would last you all winter.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark treacle
- 1 tablespoon sliced, fresh ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 1 pinch of nutmeg powder
Method:
– To make the gingerbread syrup, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons dark treacle, 1 tablespoon sliced, fresh ginger, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves and 1 pinch of nutmeg powder in a saucepan and let it simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes until thickened and take off the pan. Cool the syrup before bottling.
Storage And Presentation Tips:
– To increase the syrup’s shelf life, refrigerate it so it lasts up to four weeks and sterilise the bottle in hot water before filling.
– Gingerbread syrup appears attractively golden in an amber-hued jar decorated with a label tied to it with twine.
Cinnamon Syrup
A staple in spiced old fashioneds, hot toddies, apple martini cocktails and mulled ciders, cinnamon syrup is a holiday essential for themed parties and winter gatherings. It can also be added to warm porridges and café lattes to introduce a robust, wintry twist into them.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 3-4 cinnamon sticks
Method:
– In a saucepan, add 1 cup water and sugar and let the mixture warm slightly before infusing 3-4 cinnamon sticks. Let the spice release its aromas and flavours as the syrup simmers for about 15 minutes. Once off the flame, keep the cinnamon immersed in the syrup for at least half an hour before bottling, for extracting maximum flavour.
Storage And Presentation Tips:
– Make the cinnamon syrup last longer by placing it in glass jars sterilised with a tablespoon of warm whisky. If the flavour fades, freshen the syrup by adding a cinnamon stick and heating it lightly.
– Place the syrup jar in a small, rustic box, decorated with cinnamon sticks and twine. The syrup can be stored in a swing-top bottle for a vintage look.
Also Read: The Perfect DIY Kokum Syrup For Your Home Bar; Tried And Tested Recipe Inside
Cranberry Holiday Syrup
Tart, bright and photo-moment worthy, this red, jewel-toned syrup is the perfect holiday flavour accompaniment for cocktails like cranberry margaritas and festive gin and tonics. The vibrant tartness of the berries and a sweet, syrupy nuance brightens the tasting notes of parfaits, cheesecakes and non-alcoholic spritzers.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 strip orange zest
- 1 small piece star anise
Method:
– Simmer 1 cup water and ¾ cup sugar in a saucepan. Add 1 cup fresh cranberries and let the mixture boil until the fruit breaks apart and releases its juices into the syrup. Place a strip of orange zest and 1 small star anise piece in the pan and let the mixture simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Cool and strain into a mason jar using a fine sieve.
Storage And Presentation Tips:
– Strain the syrup gently to preserve only the freshest fruity notes. The syrup will last longer if it is stored in ice trays, as flavoured cubes.
– For easy gifting, bottle the syrup in a transparent glass jar which shows off its rich colour and decorate this with a festive ribbon.
Spiced Pear Syrup
Elegant and unexpectedly flavourful as a cocktail addition, this syrup is well-suited for adorning whisky sours, champagne cocktails and vodka spritzes crafted especially for the holiday season. Drizzle over French toast, or use as a glaze in fruity pear tarts: the spiced pear syrup is here to infuse a holiday cheer into your favourite festive recipes.
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe pears, chopped
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 small piece of fresh ginger
- ½ vanilla pod
Method:
– Bring together 2 chopped, ripe pears, 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 small piece of fresh ginger in a saucepan and simmer. Once the mixture boils, add ½ vanilla pod for the aroma. Take off the flame, mash lightly and strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth.
Storage And Presentation Tips:
– Add 1 tablespoon of lime juice to the syrup to brighten its sweet flavours and prolong its shelf life.
– When presenting as a gift, pair the syrup jar with a cocktail recipe to prepare the perfect spiced pear and whisky smash.
Key Takeaways:
– Make holiday syrups that double as festive gifts this season. The syrups can be used as flavour accents in cocktails as well as in other culinary holiday recipes.
– Prep the syrups for gifting by adorning syrup jars with aesthetic touches in the form of twine, rustic and handwritten recipes and festive ribbons.
– Spiced pear syrups and gingerbread syrups are among recipes that work really well across a range of holiday pies, tarts and cookies.
FAQs:
– What is the best way to sterilise syrup jars?
Immersing the syrup jars in hot water or washing them out with a tablespoon of whisky are among the simplest and most effective ways to sterilise syrup jars.
– Along with cocktails, what other uses does the gingerbread syrup have?
Gingerbread syrup can be used as a drizzle over pancakes and brushed over cakes and pies to prevent them from drying out.
– Which are some of the cocktails that can be flavoured with cinnamon syrup?
Spiced old fashioneds, hot toddies, apple martini cocktails and mulled ciders are among some of the drinks that can be flavoured with cinnamon syrup.
All cocktails listed use 30 ml liquor measurements for single serves. Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
