I remember the first time I saw ‘liquid sugar’ for iced tea in a Starbucks in Arizona – what a great idea! No more endless stirring, and then sipping up the crunchy grains of granulated sugar that collects in the bottom of my iced green tea, or choosing an artificial sweetener in a yellow or pink packet just so it will dissolve. Now, regular and flavored syrups are everywhere, but they can be expensive, and sometimes the flavors are pretty artificial. Making interesting, natural, and refreshing iced tea drinks at home is easy – it only takes a few minutes to make flavored syrups to keep on hand.
All of these syrups store indefinitely in the refrigerator, and they will make your iced drinks taste amazing! Stir in 1-2 Tablespoons to cold-brewed green tea (Gyokuro or Fukamushi Sencha would be a great choice!) over ice, or get creative with strong-brewed iced green tea (quick if you use Matcha!) and sparkling water. These syrups are great for creating cocktails, and for adding sweetness and flavor to your iced matcha latte or matcha smoothie!
All the recipes below can be doubled – the ratios are simple to remember and pretty consistent. I always use 1:1 for the sugar and water, and typically, the same amount of fruit or loosely packed herbs. For strongly-flavored additions like citrus zest, use ½ cup zest to 1 cup sugar/1 cup water. I like to mix and match, so the above picture shows Ginger Syrup with Lime. Next, I can’t wait to make Peach Syrup so I can have Iced Ginger-Peach Green Tea!
Simple Syrup — ‘Classic Syrup’ just like the Siren makes…
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer over medium-high heat. Stir until the mixture is clear, then cool, and store in a glass or metal container, in the refrigerator.
Vanilla Syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
½ vanilla bean, cut down the middle and the soft inside scraped into the pan (or 1 tsp vanilla extract) Put the sugar, water, and vanilla bean in a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer over medium-high heat. Stir until the mixture is clear, then cool, and pour through a very fine strainer, and store in a glass or metal container, in the refrigerator.
Ginger (Lemongrass) Simple Syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup peeled, chopped fresh ginger (or lemongrass)
Put the sugar, water, and ginger (or lemongrass) in a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer over medium-high heat. Stir until the mixture is clear, then cool, and let steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain through a very fine strainer and store in a glass or metal container, in the refrigerator.
Peach (or Pear) Simple Syrup
Follow instructions for Ginger Syrup, substituting 1 fresh ripe peach, coarsely chopped, for the ginger.
Mint (Lemonbalm) Simple Syrup
Follow instructions for Ginger Syrup, substituting 1 cup loosely-packed mint leaves for the chopped ginger.
Lemon (Orange, Lime) Simple Syrup
Follow instructions for Ginger Syrup, substituting the zest of 1 lemon for the chopped ginger. Note: For a clearer appearance, strain syrup through a clean paper coffee filter or several layers of clean cheesecloth.
Iced Green Tea with lemongrass flavored simple syrup
Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
- Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer over medium-high heat. Stir until the mixture is clear, then cool, and store in a glass or metal container, in the refrigerator.
Vanilla Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- ½ Vanilla Bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Cut vanilla bean down the middle and scrape the soft inside into a small saucepan.
- Add the sugar and water; bring to a low simmer over medium-high heat.
- Stir until the mixture is clear, then cool, and pour through a very fine strainer, and store in a glass or metal container, in the refrigerator.
Ginger (Lemongrass) Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- ½ cup Ginger, peeled and chopped (or lemongrass)
Instructions
- Put the sugar, water, and ginger (or lemongrass) in a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer over medium-high heat. Stir until the mixture is clear, then cool, and let steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain through a very fine strainer and store in a glass or metal container, in the refrigerator.
- Variations:Peach or Pear Simple Syrup:Follow instructions for Ginger Syrup, substituting 1 fresh ripe peach, coarsely chopped, for the ginger.Mint (Lemonbalm) Simple Syrup:Follow instructions for Ginger Syrup, substituting 1 cup loosely-packed mint leaves for the chopped ginger.Lemon (Orange, Lime) Simple Syrup:Follow instructions for Ginger Syrup, substituting the zest of 1 lemon for the chopped ginger. Note: For a clearer appearance, strain syrup through a clean paper coffee filter or several layers of clean cheesecloth.
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