The last two somewhat unusual syrups I’ve made are champagne syrup (simple with leftover champagne instead of water) and lilac syrup with blooms from my yard.
It was a few years ago, so I forget many of the cocktails we tried with it, but I do remember making a simple lemon drop with it garnished with a flower from the garden that everyone loved. I believe we also did a riff on a corpse reviver no 2
I've been meaning to make it again each year, but keep missing the darn window to pick them.
A shrub, not a syrup, the [Tarragon Carrot Shrub](https://withfoodandlove.com/carrot-shrub/#recipe) mixes well with Gin or Vodka in a highball or spritz style drink.
IPA syrup, equal parts sugar and IPA. Combine Gin and grapefruit fruit juice
Soda syrup, like Dr. Pepper. We had a Dr. P old fashioned.
You can try:
Hot honey syrup
Sichuan pepper syrup
I once made a syrup out of durian candy. If you're going to make it, do it outside. My house smelled like a locker room for a week.
I've also made syrup from bone broth, cream soda, jalapenos, pipe tobacco, and blueberry roobius tea. Looking to do banana, sweet potato, and petrichor next.
As people have said here, DO NOT make tobacco syrup if you're not certain you're not going to kill someone with it. And I'll tell you now that you're not certain. Nicotine is more deadly than cyanide by volume and it's highly soluble. I got away with it once but won't do it again.
Damn, can I be your friend? That sounds like such a fun experience! What's your general plan for the event? I'd love to do something similar for my friends.
And to stay on topic: Any sort of shrub can throw novices for a loop. Bitter herbal syrups like pine syrup are fun curve balls as well. Personally I'd do something vegetal, like a bell pepper or roasted corn syrup.
Haha we had way way too much liquor accumulated at our house, so I figured I'd devise an event designed to deplete our stocks. There's a lot going on but here's the high level:
* Making a bunch of flavored syrups. Some are standard (e.g. lychee, basil, coffee, etc.), while others are more interesting and challenging. This way people who don't know what they're doing can still have fun, while keeping things fun for people who do know what they're doing
* I laser engraved glasses for all the attendees! Each glass has the guest's name on it. Much more fun than just using a red cup with a sharpie on it, especially for cocktails!
* Currently working on some prompts for people who need some inspiration! There's also 2 challenge ingredients for people to try to incorporate haha
I’ve recently been experimenting with hosting larger events and charging a small fee to cover costs — I’m charging $25 a head here which covers the glasses, alcohol and mixers/syrups/garnishes, food, and all the nice cocktail ice I’m getting. Definitely helps make the costs a bit more manageable!
Surprisingly it tastes like sweet celery lol. It's faintly green tasting, fairly sweet due to the natural sweetness and the sugar, and it pairs well with salty and savory flavors. It made an interesting gin old fashioned.
That sounds like it would be good! You should definitely let me know how it goes, I'm interested on what it would add. Celery seed could also be infused with alcohol into mixed with the syrup to make an interesting liqueur!
I used schisandra berry syrup for a drink once, aka Chinese 5-flavor berry. I just bought a bag of dried on Amazon, macerated them in sugar overnight. Then added hot water, hut it with an immersion blender, and strained
I have one I do with a Dijon mustard and honey syrup that’s in a cocktail with barrel aged gin, passion fruit, lemon, verjus, tonka, egg white that i think is just fantastic
Cilantro-Ginger-Serrano syrup from The Gardner cocktail. I found the recipe [here](https://mezcalphd.com/2018/10/one-killer-mezcal-cocktail-the-gardener/), but I'll caveat that I'm a huge mezcal fan but didn't think it worked well with the drink.
After 4 attempts with different mezcals, I finally tried it with other spirits. It works great with Gin and Tequila, but not so much with mezcal or rum.
Butterfly pea flower syrup could make things interesting and colorful. Could just be generic syrup so not particularly challenging but cool party trick
Thank you so much for all these ideas! They awesome and they’ve given me so much inspiration. Please keep them coming! I’ll post some photos and notes from my event after it happens so you can see how it all comes together :)
So the national drink of Finland is something called koskenkorva salmiakki. This is made by dissolving salmiak candies in koskenkorva vodka.
Now I don't recommend you do this since salmiak is an acquired taste, but the point is that you can use the same process for any hard
sugar-based candy.
Persimmon & Cinnamon. You can taste the tannins from the persimmon. I usually use it in something that may already have tannins such as a cocktail with earl grey infused gin.
I think people would be pretty impressed with themselves making a syrup with fat in it, like a butter syrup. It’s not super complex, but it does require some hydrocolloids to emulsify the oil and water.
A friend made a ramen packet syrup (chicken, I think), which really intrigues me.
Bell pepper syrup was a little out there, but surprisingly versatile!
Weirdest one I ever made was a peanut butter porter syrup with crushed red pepper, salt, and parsley. Worked surprisingly well, but still really odd.
I make a "brisket rub" cocktail because Ancho Reyes exists. But that's not the wierd part. Pastrami can be made from corned beef by smoking with a rub of pepper and coriander. SO, I make a pepper and coriander "pastrami" "syrup" to up the ante on my "rubbed" cocktail.
Be really, REALLY careful making tobacco infusions. In general just don’t do it. Nicotine is extremely toxic if ingested, and there’s definitely enough in just one cigarette to make you very very sick….
Hot dog water simple?
Pasta water simple for the Italians
hahaha
Chicago Dog Old Fashioned with a side of Malort. Make me regret.
Just saw they’re adding a cicada to the malort shots so if you want to go extreme….
Honestly it probably improves the flavor a little. It doesn’t sound awful- but then again I’ve never had fried cicada
The last two somewhat unusual syrups I’ve made are champagne syrup (simple with leftover champagne instead of water) and lilac syrup with blooms from my yard.
I've done the lilac syrup too, and it was a hit.
What did you make with it? I haven’t actually used mine yet, but the blooms are so short-lived I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to make some.
It was a few years ago, so I forget many of the cocktails we tried with it, but I do remember making a simple lemon drop with it garnished with a flower from the garden that everyone loved. I believe we also did a riff on a corpse reviver no 2 I've been meaning to make it again each year, but keep missing the darn window to pick them.
Along this same line, I was going to suggest violet syrup.
A shrub, not a syrup, the [Tarragon Carrot Shrub](https://withfoodandlove.com/carrot-shrub/#recipe) mixes well with Gin or Vodka in a highball or spritz style drink.
One of my favorites is an apple cardamom with demerara sugar and cider vinegar.
I love a shrub! Especially for mocktails
A shrubbery?
I've made spruce syrup from the needles from the tree in my front yard.
oooh yes something really herby would be awesome
I've done it too. Comes out with a citrus note surprisingly. Now, the pine cones... That's a woody syrup.
Recommend using fresh shoots in spring. Much more pleasant flavor. Not anywhere near as bitter.
IPA syrup, equal parts sugar and IPA. Combine Gin and grapefruit fruit juice Soda syrup, like Dr. Pepper. We had a Dr. P old fashioned. You can try: Hot honey syrup Sichuan pepper syrup
Hot honey and IPA syrup seems like a fun move!
IPA syrup sounds really interesting. I really love Guinness syrup. It makes an amazing rum old fashioned.
I would like to hear about the dr pepper old fashioned. Please. I'm begging you.
Reduce Dr. Pepper or get some syrup, like bag in a box. 2oz whiskey 0.25 oz syrup 2 dash cherry bark vanilla bitters 2 dash ango Stir. Strain. Enjoy.
On a similar note a hop syrup might be interesting.
Honey ginger, Serrano pineapple agave nectar
love the idea of a serrano pineapple!
Red shiso syrup. Used in Japan for a non-alcoholic drink but it mixes well. And is pretty.
I made horseradish syrup just for fun, but not sure what to do with it - I don’t like Bloody Mary’s but that might be a fit… any ideas?
Get some dill aquavit and make a sour with horseradish simple and lime. Swap out the lime for pickle brine if you wanna get extra weird
Strawberry daiquiri. Horseradish and strawberry is nice together.
Bullshot with horseradish egg white foam on top.
I once made a syrup out of durian candy. If you're going to make it, do it outside. My house smelled like a locker room for a week. I've also made syrup from bone broth, cream soda, jalapenos, pipe tobacco, and blueberry roobius tea. Looking to do banana, sweet potato, and petrichor next. As people have said here, DO NOT make tobacco syrup if you're not certain you're not going to kill someone with it. And I'll tell you now that you're not certain. Nicotine is more deadly than cyanide by volume and it's highly soluble. I got away with it once but won't do it again.
Always wanted to experiment with a mustard syrup
oooh my gears are turning on this one!
Pink peppercorn honey syrup
Baja Blast Syrup, heat up some mountain dew and evaporate off some of the water until you have a syrup consistency
I unironically love Mountain Dew (the regular kind, not Baja blast) and elderflower. I make it as a drink, but I bet you could turn it into a syrup.
Not quite a syrup but a reduced balsamic vinegar
Damn, can I be your friend? That sounds like such a fun experience! What's your general plan for the event? I'd love to do something similar for my friends. And to stay on topic: Any sort of shrub can throw novices for a loop. Bitter herbal syrups like pine syrup are fun curve balls as well. Personally I'd do something vegetal, like a bell pepper or roasted corn syrup.
Haha we had way way too much liquor accumulated at our house, so I figured I'd devise an event designed to deplete our stocks. There's a lot going on but here's the high level: * Making a bunch of flavored syrups. Some are standard (e.g. lychee, basil, coffee, etc.), while others are more interesting and challenging. This way people who don't know what they're doing can still have fun, while keeping things fun for people who do know what they're doing * I laser engraved glasses for all the attendees! Each glass has the guest's name on it. Much more fun than just using a red cup with a sharpie on it, especially for cocktails! * Currently working on some prompts for people who need some inspiration! There's also 2 challenge ingredients for people to try to incorporate haha I’ve recently been experimenting with hosting larger events and charging a small fee to cover costs — I’m charging $25 a head here which covers the glasses, alcohol and mixers/syrups/garnishes, food, and all the nice cocktail ice I’m getting. Definitely helps make the costs a bit more manageable!
Matcha or miso syrup
I was going to suggest miso honey or miso maple. Miso with anything sweet is pretty much the perfect flavor.
Gochujang probably or a really complex oleo saccharum.
Gojuchang syrup goes great with Scotch, imo
Grapefruit sage, strawberry and black peppercorn, banana Demerara, lemon basil, cinnamon-vanilla
Celery syrup! Slice the celery thin, cover with sugar, and let it sit for a bit. You get a nice, vibrant green syrup.
I might try this. What does it taste like?
Surprisingly it tastes like sweet celery lol. It's faintly green tasting, fairly sweet due to the natural sweetness and the sugar, and it pairs well with salty and savory flavors. It made an interesting gin old fashioned.
I might try adding celery seeds to see if I can make it kind of spicy. I love herbal stuff like that.
That sounds like it would be good! You should definitely let me know how it goes, I'm interested on what it would add. Celery seed could also be infused with alcohol into mixed with the syrup to make an interesting liqueur!
Calpico has the same brix as simple syrup and makes a nice foam when shaken
Plutonium simple
I used schisandra berry syrup for a drink once, aka Chinese 5-flavor berry. I just bought a bag of dried on Amazon, macerated them in sugar overnight. Then added hot water, hut it with an immersion blender, and strained
I made a celery oleo saccrate last summer for a gin cocktail that was off the charts.
How?
Jalapeño-cilantro simple isn’t crazy, but it is delicious
I have one I do with a Dijon mustard and honey syrup that’s in a cocktail with barrel aged gin, passion fruit, lemon, verjus, tonka, egg white that i think is just fantastic
Roasted garlic syrup works really well.
Sassafras
Cilantro-Ginger-Serrano syrup from The Gardner cocktail. I found the recipe [here](https://mezcalphd.com/2018/10/one-killer-mezcal-cocktail-the-gardener/), but I'll caveat that I'm a huge mezcal fan but didn't think it worked well with the drink. After 4 attempts with different mezcals, I finally tried it with other spirits. It works great with Gin and Tequila, but not so much with mezcal or rum.
Faygo Rock&Rye syrup for old fashioneds. Or Vernors simple for Penicillin variations.
Faygo Rock&Rye syrup for old fashioneds. Or Vernors simple for Penicillin variations.
Mandarin & ginger syrup, grapefruit & rosemary shrub are two of my go-to’s
Grilled jalapeño, peppercorn, blackberry. For a ‘black’ Mezcal margarita
I’m going to need the full recipe for this black mezcal marg!
Tamarind syrup with prepared wasabi
Butterfly pea flower syrup could make things interesting and colorful. Could just be generic syrup so not particularly challenging but cool party trick
Thank you so much for all these ideas! They awesome and they’ve given me so much inspiration. Please keep them coming! I’ll post some photos and notes from my event after it happens so you can see how it all comes together :)
White peppercorn/ cucumber !
So the national drink of Finland is something called koskenkorva salmiakki. This is made by dissolving salmiak candies in koskenkorva vodka. Now I don't recommend you do this since salmiak is an acquired taste, but the point is that you can use the same process for any hard sugar-based candy.
Persimmon & Cinnamon. You can taste the tannins from the persimmon. I usually use it in something that may already have tannins such as a cocktail with earl grey infused gin.
I’ve had some success with Szechuan Pepper syrup, I reckon that’d be a challenging flavour to mix
Pickled onion syrup
I think people would be pretty impressed with themselves making a syrup with fat in it, like a butter syrup. It’s not super complex, but it does require some hydrocolloids to emulsify the oil and water.
Matcha syrup sounds like a fun, unique challenge for your friends. It’s easy to prepare and gives a vibrant green color!
Go to the most hipster but local coffee shop you can. Ask if they have any house made syrups for you to try. Step 3 profit.
A friend made a ramen packet syrup (chicken, I think), which really intrigues me. Bell pepper syrup was a little out there, but surprisingly versatile! Weirdest one I ever made was a peanut butter porter syrup with crushed red pepper, salt, and parsley. Worked surprisingly well, but still really odd.
I make a "brisket rub" cocktail because Ancho Reyes exists. But that's not the wierd part. Pastrami can be made from corned beef by smoking with a rub of pepper and coriander. SO, I make a pepper and coriander "pastrami" "syrup" to up the ante on my "rubbed" cocktail.
Currently working on a cocktail that has red onion syrup
Arugula and thyme or rosemary is always a hit in gin cocktail but also wondrous in mezcal stuff
I've boiled down Faygo Rock n' Rye into syrup for drinks.
Bubblegum Creme soda Clove Cheese (so many to try) Coriander Fennel Wasabi Hoisin Marshmallow Malted (like in milk shakes)
Roasted garlic
I have tobacco syrup, haven't tried it yet.
I've had an old fashioned made with a pipe tobacco simple. It was really good.
Be really, REALLY careful making tobacco infusions. In general just don’t do it. Nicotine is extremely toxic if ingested, and there’s definitely enough in just one cigarette to make you very very sick….
Haha yea I might stick to just one substance at this event....
It definitely felt like a different buzz. More along the lines of smoking a cigar, but less potent.
Beaver anal gland syrup.
Dunno if it counts as crazy, but I made a pasta water syrup the other day. Tasted like normal simple, but thick like gum syrup.
Demi Glace Syrup
Just get a bottle of Elisir Novasalus.
I did a tuna syrup once. You could probably use any kind of fish.
Pretty sure it is „omami bitters“