Since I drink coffee pretty much around the clock, I started buying the bottled syrups so I could add my favorite flavors to the cappuccinos and lattes I made at home. However at $10 or so a pop that can be a fairly expensive habit, especially since I like to mix up my flavors often. I decided to make a simple syrup base and then added various flavorings to find out how they tasted in comparison to the store-bought variety. The results were very favorable, in fact one friend of mine swears she can't tell the difference between various Starbuck's drinks and my own homemade versions. I still think there is nothing quite like the original, but these are a reasonable facsimile at the very least. To make a simple syrup, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup white sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until it has reduced by half, which should take about 5 minutes. Now if you want flavoring, you have to add those ingredient(s) at the same time you add the water and sugar. Keep in mind, the following are just examples. I don't really have a precise recipe for this as I usually just wing it, so play around with the amounts and make what suits your own taste.
Vanilla bean
If you use vanilla beans in cooking, always reserve the pod (wrap and refrigerate) once you have scraped the seeds out because it is perfect for something like this. Simply add the pod to the water and sugar mix, prepare as above, and remove it once the syrup has reduced. If you are only making a small batch, you might want to only use a portion of the vanilla pod. If you don't use vanilla beans at home, you can add approximately 1 tsp. vanilla extract to the water & syrup instead.
Cinnamon syrup
Add about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the water and sugar mixture. If you want the syrup to resemble the Cinnamon Dolce flavor, use brown sugar instead of white.
Experiment with other flavors, spices, and extracts to find the ones that suit you best. If you like pumpkin pie, use the same spices you would add to a pumpkin pie, etc. Practice in small batches, but once you find a blend you like, you can make larger portions and refrigerate.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-07-2007 @ 9:29PM
Un-Swiss Miss said...
Any tips for making fruit syrups?
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2-08-2007 @ 10:08AM
Keith said...
Here is how I make a good lime syrup.
Make the simple syrup as above but I use 2 cups of water and sugar. I don't boil it down by half as I found that a more watery mixture mixes better. Then use a microplane to remove the outermost (green not white) part of 5-7 washed limes. Do NOT use a zester tool you don't want any of the very bitter white rind just the outer zest.
Just after the boiling is finishing add the zest. Let it boil for about a minute and turn the heat off and let the mixture steep until room temperature. Strain through a fine sieve or cloth and squeeze or press the zest to get out all the flavor. Put it into a squeeze bottle and refrigerate.
My b/f had me make this after the cancellation of Lime Pepsi in our area. He now can't drink Pepsi without it and I'll be making this for the rest of my life.
I do my vanilla syrup the same way by scraping the seeds and putting the pod and all into the mixture for steeping. Some vanilla seeds in the syrup (they are hard to filter out) only add flavor.
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2-08-2007 @ 10:10AM
Rebecca said...
Where do you spend $10 for a bottle of syrup? We buy them at World Market for $3.99 - $5.99. Even at that price though, they do add up quickly. I'm going to have to try making them myself. :)
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2-08-2007 @ 10:49AM
Jason L. Froebe said...
Anyone know how to make Pumpkin Spice or Hazelnut syrup? That's what we use most of all at home but the bottles are expensive ($7 - $10).
Jason
http://www.froebe.net/blog
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2-08-2007 @ 11:54AM
peggy said...
for flavors you can't reproduce, try a grocery outlet, like smart and final or united grocer. they are open to the public and have the largest variety and are less than half of \what you are paying. i think the last time i counted there were about 84 different flavors, and a large selection of syrups with splenda. enjoy
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2-08-2007 @ 7:00PM
Bonnie said...
I've been making my own syrups for a while now. I make a thicker syrup, 2 parts sugar to 1 part water.
Mostly, I use extracts (make friends with a Watkins distributer), although last summer I made one with culinary lavender which was awesome for making lemonade.
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2-11-2007 @ 7:06PM
Kathryn said...
Tried this today and it worked out fabulously! I'll never go to Starbucks again (haha .. right). But anyway. Word of advice - don't let your coffee get cold and try to drink it again; the syrup WILL separate from the coffee and it WILL taste disgusting, lol.
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2-18-2007 @ 7:42AM
Daddymem said...
There is only one coffee syrup: These recipes are coffee flavorings.
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2-18-2007 @ 12:11PM
Kitty said...
Chocolate mint...added some cocoa powder and two drops of peppermint oil. It's excellent.
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2-19-2007 @ 12:46PM
Preggars said...
I make lavendar syrup for cocktails, in place of honey, chocolate cupcakes, whatever...it is so good, and so easy, just add fresh or dried lavendar flowers to the sugar and water. Mint is really nice as well, for cocktails.
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2-20-2007 @ 3:41PM
Marty Chamberlain said...
I have what will probably be a really stupid question. We don't have a starbucks where I am..and no I don't live on the moon, however it's close..Anyway, I see these recipes for the syrups, what do you do with them.. do you just add them to black coffees? and if so, how much do you add?
Cheers
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2-20-2007 @ 6:57PM
Joanne Lutynec said...
Marty - that is a great question. When I make mine, I make a fairly large batch and keep it in a bottle in the fridge for up to 30 days.
As far as how much to add, it is personal taste. I would start by adding 1/2 oz (to either black coffee or espresso / cappucino) and go up gradually from there until you find the mix that you like.
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2-23-2007 @ 4:08AM
Dave said...
Hi all, read the thread with great interest here in the UK. Any ideas on how I would change a basic syrup (sugar & water) into Irish Syrup tasting???
Thanks for any info/ideas in advance.
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2-23-2007 @ 10:33AM
Bonnie said...
Hey Marty, I am also nowhere near a Starbucks. I was raised by a family of wolves along the Canadian border.
About what to do with the syrups, I make my own lattes and cappuccinos by making stove-top espresso in one of those little cast alluminum moka pots, adding my syrup, then some milk heated on the stove which I forth with a manual plunger-type frother. It's a labor of love, but good coffee is something I simply refuse to live without.
Mostly, I make pretty basic flavors like vanilla and almond and hazelnut, all of which are pretty tasty when drizzled over some cake or some warm bread pudding or rice pudding.
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3-04-2007 @ 8:14PM
BoozeMiller said...
"Hey Marty, I am also nowhere near a Starbucks. I was raised by a family of wolves along the Canadian border."
I was raised by a cup of coffee. =p Great tip. I am trying these tonight!
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4-29-2007 @ 12:55AM
sue said...
A long time ago I was in Peru for the summer and they had a very thick coffee syrup, unsweetened, that they added milk to to make coffee. Has anyone every had such a syrup?
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6-06-2007 @ 9:15AM
Krystel said...
Question on the lime syrup - are you using key limes for that calculation? If not, how can the amount of rind be adjusted to achieve the same flavor if key limes are used?
Reply
6-06-2007 @ 1:25PM
Krystel said...
I just remembered something: In place of cocoa and mint for the syrup you can use a chocolate mint plant. You can get one at Home Depot and grow some yourself. I'm not sure if it'll produce the same flavor, but I'll give it a shot this afternoon.
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6-18-2007 @ 12:43PM
Christima said...
Hey Bonnie,
How do you make the hazelnut? Does simply adding sliced or chopped nuts to cooking mixture do it, or is it more complicated?
Reply
9-09-2007 @ 11:50PM
brian78 said...
If I wanted to make a ginger beer syrup would I
just boil the beer with sugar? And how much sugar
per amount of ginger beer? Any Idea's or suggestions,
I'm open to them. Also I have made blueberry syrup though I think mines a bit thicker used about 3 cups of sugar to one cup water. Can I keep that in the pantry or cuboard or do I have to refegerate it?
Reply