Talk To Me... About Syrups
using flavoured syrups in your mindful cocktails!
Mindful Cocktail: Mood Up Spritz
Healthy Hedonists, may we introduce you to an easy-to-make & certified gamechanger for your Mindful Cocktails: homemade syrups! Not only does making-your-own guarantee you know exactly what goes into your glass (and allows experimentation with different sugar sources, if you want to avoid refined…) it’s also really easy!
Soooo, how do you make a syrup?
Fruits and herbs are a great place to start: think strawberry, apple, rosemary… even sugar snap peas! As a general rule, the essence from herbs is potent enough not to need processing, whereas you might need to break up or puree soft fruit to increase the surface area and extract that all-important essence.
Admittedly, it wouldn’t be a syrup without sugar… but whilst caster sugar is the go-to for commercial syrups, at La Maison Wellness we like to experiment with alternative sweeteners. Read Here for our recommendations on sugar substitutes: after all, sweet doesn’t have to mean ‘bad for you’! You’ll also need a liquid to get things moving and this can be as simple as good old H2O, or teas are an easy way to mix things up (and we all know how to make a brew!) When using dry sugar crystals, it’s easiest if you match the volume of your liquid to your sweetener in a 1:1 ratio; but the maths gets a little more complex when using alternatives like honey or pomegranate molasses. Check out the recipes below, where we’ve done all the hard work for you!
Now you have your ingredients, combine over a gentle heat until all crystals have dissolved or- in the case of honey or maple- the water has been incorporated. Strain out the solids et voilà… your very own flavoured syrup to enjoy with soda, or in one of our delicious Mindful Cocktails! Easy-peasy.
LEVEL UP!
Mastered syrups? Next up is something known in the bar world as an oleo-saccharum, which is really just a syrup that uses citrus peels. Whilst these take a little more time, don’t be put-off by the fancy latin name as they are also suuuuper easy! Simply zest your chosen citrus (you want those beautiful essential oils from the skin without the bitter pith), which can be done easily with a standard vegetable peeler. Coat the peels in sugar & leave for a couple of hours, or ideally overnight until the sugar is damp with citrus oil. Remove the zests, add an equal volume of water & stir until dissolved- c’est tout! When it comes to oleo saccharums, classic sugar is usually your best bet; as it’s the magic of osmosis that we have to thank for the extraction of flavour… The good news is that your finished product will have such a beautiful, strong, zesty flavour that you won’t need to use a lot of it!
Flavoured Syrup Recipes
Raspberry Syrup
As seen in our Mood Up Spritz!
1. Put a handful of raspberries in a pot and add 100ml of water.
2. Cook over a mild heat for five minutes. By this time the raspberries will have softened and you can use a wooden spoon to mix them together.
3. Add 100ml of sugar (we like to use natural sugar alternatives like Birch sugar or Monk fruit sugar.)
4. Continue to stir to dissolve the sugar.
5. Once dissolved, leave to cool slightly and strain through a fine strainer, cheesecloth or coffee filter to remove the raspberry seeds.
6. Pour into a sterilised jar or glass bottle. Store in the fridge and keep for one week.
Grapefruit Syrup
As seen in our Rosé Spritz!
1. Use a vegetable peeler to “zest” a grapefruit, the less pith the better as this tends to be bitter tasting.
2. Choose your non-refined sugar. We recommend birch syrup or monk fruit! You want to use the equivalent of 2 cups of ordinary sugar- check out our blog for help with converting your measurements.
3. Combine your grapefruit zest with the sugar or sugar substitute (plus a little juice if you want more ‘zing!’) Stir until the sugar appears slushy.
4. Cover & leave for a couple of hours (ideally overnight) in the fridge
5. Add 1 cup water to your sugar mix, then heat gently to dissolve
6. Strain out the grapefruit et voilà! Homemade grapefruit syrup.
RosemAry Honey
As seen in our Penrhos Club!
1. Pick a good quality of honey ideally something from your local farmers. Did you know that eating honey that has been made in your area can help with allergies like hay fever as the bees have pollinated flowers you are in contact with?
2. Equal parts honey and hot water.
3. Add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and gently heat.
4. Stir until the honey is melted.
5. Keep the Rosemary Honey in the fridge (it should last a week.)