Syrup 101

I love making syrup. Of course, I tend to only make a couple different varieties, but who's counting? Really. I make what I like. LOL. And I *love* vanilla!

I should really make cranberry syrup....now that I think about it....that would be awesome!

People have asked me how to make homemade syrup. And it really is simple. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool.
The ratio is pretty much the same for all syrups. And if you know how to make simple syrup, you've got this thing beat. Seriously you do.



1 cup sugar to 1 cup water.
Flavoring

Tada!

Yeah. It's that simple. When it comes to flavoring- you can use a lot of different things. I use vanilla beans, or limes, or lemons, oranges, etc. Nut flavored syrups are a bit trickier. When I get the chance, I'll post about those.
What you need to remember is to use a liquid measuring cup for the water, and a regular measuring cup for the solid (like sugar).

I've posted about syrups before, I'm sure. I've checked. But what I didn't do is give you directions:

Measure equal amounts of ingredients (1 cup water to 1 cup sugar or 2 cups water to 2 cups sugar), bring to a boil, add flavoring, boil a couple minutes more and turn off heat. Let cool. Pour into bottles. Store in the fridge. The longer you let it boil, the thicker the syrup. So you should really make it to your taste. Play around with the amount of sugar if you want. Sometimes, I use 3/4 c sugar to 1 cup water. It all depends on your taste-buds.

This is my vanilla syrup boiling:

I found (and fell in love with) the San Francisco Herb Co.! I can get 17-20 vanilla beans for $17....I know! Wild, isn't it? In the grocery store, you pay $13 for three beans! Go figure.

This is my lime syrup boiling:

Of course, I took my lime syrup a step further- I used my micro-planer on the rind and put flecks of lime into the syrup. 

And that's all there is to it. Once the syrups cool, I use a funnel and pour into bottles. I'm thinking I might make syrups for all the ladies for Christmas this year...or maybe I should get started for the Pay It Forward I entered into and send syrup??....