Simple syrups infused with dried herbs
Herbal simple syrups are essentially highly concentrated teas that have been preserved in honey or sugar. On the other side of the Herbal Bitters spectrum, herbal simple syrups have been historically touted as a children’s alternative for receiving the same benefits from the herb without the tinctures base of alcohol. And, thanks to the use of a sweeter base, the taste was deemed much more tolerable.
Simple Ingredients
The end product really lives up to its name, as only three key ingredients are essential to completing an herbal syrup recipe. Water, the herbs you plan to infuse your syrup with, and sugar are really all you need to create your simple syrup. The type of sugar is up to you as well, as long as it’s in granular form, which works best. Brown, raw, white, or even maple sugar will do well in any herbal simple syrup recipe. You could even forgo the sugar and use honey instead.
Herb Selection
It’s understandable that picking the right herbs for your syrup can feel overwhelming. Setting your intention for what you’ll be using the simple syrup for will help narrow down which herbs will work best for you and cut down on the guesswork.
For instance, if you’re looking for a good cooking additive, you might consider using herbs like thyme, mint, or lavender. Lavender and mint are also tasty for summer, or winter drinking herbs, as well as hibiscus and butterfly pea.
If you’re looking to get more of a medicinal use out of the herbal simple syrup, you may try ginger, elderberry, or lemon grass. Our Citrus Bliss tea blend would be a great herbal base for a simple syrup geared towards better well-being.
Simple Recipe
· 1 cup of water
· 1 cup of sugar
· Dried herbs (Catalyst Tea Company recommends following tea measurements listed for steeping our products.)
Directions
1. Bring water to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
2. Add sugar and dried herbs and bring to a boil.
3. Cover the pan and remove from heat.
4. Let the mixture sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Strain the herbs from the syrup with a mesh strainer, while pouring the syrup into a clean glass jar.
Keeping your herbal simple syrup in a lidded jar and refrigerated will help preserve it for at least a month.
Teatime
Check out these tasty teas to get inspiration for your next Herbal Simple Syrup creation!
Summer Cool (apple pieces, red clover blossom, orange peel, ginger root, spearmint)
Jasmine Butterfly (jasmine green tea, butterfly pea flower)
Citrus Bliss (lemongrass, ginger root, orange peel, apple, pieces)