The short answer: to make gingerbread syrup, simmer 240 ml water, 200 g dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon molasses, 30 g sliced fresh ginger, 2 cinnamon sticks and 4 cloves on low heat for 15 minutes. Steep it off the heat for 30 minutes, strain it and stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. It makes about 250 ml and keeps 2 weeks in the fridge.
Gingerbread syrup is brown sugar syrup that tastes like the biscuit tin in December. 30 ml turns a latte into a gingerbread latte. It also sweetens hot chocolate, porridge and whisky drinks, and soaks into a warm cake. Twenty minutes of work, most of it waiting.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Time | 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes steeping |
| Makes | About 250 ml |
| Ratio | 200 g sugar to 240 ml water, plus spices |
| Keeps | About 2 weeks in the fridge |
Ingredients
- 240 ml (1 cup) water
- 200 g (1 cup) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon molasses or black treacle
- 30 g fresh ginger, thinly sliced, no need to peel
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- A pinch of grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Molasses gives the dark, bittersweet note that makes it taste of gingerbread and not just of ginger. Dark treacle or a dark beet syrup work the same way.
How to make gingerbread syrup
- Slice the ginger. Thin coins across the fibres. Snap the cinnamon sticks in half.
- Dissolve. Put the water, sugar and molasses in a small pan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has gone.
- Simmer. Add the ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Keep it at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. Small bubbles, never a rolling boil.
- Steep. Take the pan off the heat and leave the spices in for 30 minutes.
- Strain. Pour it through a fine sieve into a clean, dry bottle. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Chill. Close the bottle and keep it in the fridge.
Fresh ginger, ground ginger or gingerbread spice
| Spice | Use | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh ginger | 30 g sliced, as above | Bright and peppery, a clear syrup |
| Ground ginger | 1 teaspoon ground ginger and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon instead of fresh ginger and sticks | Softer, slightly cloudy |
| Gingerbread spice mix | 2 teaspoons, in place of all the spices | The full bakery blend, cloudy |
Ground spices never fully dissolve. Strain the syrup through a coffee filter for a clearer bottle, or shake it before each pour.
6 ways to use gingerbread syrup
- Gingerbread latte: 30 ml in a mug, a shot of espresso, then steamed milk. Whipped cream and a pinch of cinnamon on top.
- Iced latte: 30 ml over ice with cold milk and espresso.
- Hot chocolate: a spoonful stirred into a mug.
- Porridge and yoghurt: drizzled over instead of honey.
- Old fashioned: 10 ml with 50 ml whisky and a strip of orange peel, stirred over ice.
- Cake soak: brushed over a warm sponge or a loaf of banana bread.
More syrups for the same shelf
Gingerbread syrup is three syrups in one bottle. If you want them apart, make ginger syrup for the heat, cinnamon syrup for the warmth, brown sugar syrup for the caramel and vanilla syrup for everything else.
Gingerbread flavour that keeps for months
Syrup lasts 2 weeks. For gingerbread flavour that lasts a year, steep the same spices in vodka for a few weeks and strain them out: a gingerbread extract. The NOIDS Herb Lab can then reduce that extract to a thick concentrate with its Evaporation function, at about 50 ml per hour and never above 102 °C, while its Condenser catches the alcohol. Once little alcohol is left, keep the concentrate in the fridge and use it within 4 days, or freeze it.
Storage
- Fridge: in a clean, closed bottle for about 2 weeks.
- Freezer: in an ice-cube tray for up to 3 months. One cube is about one latte.
- Throw it away if it turns cloudy where it was clear, smells sour or shows mould.
Questions
What is gingerbread syrup made of?
Brown sugar, water, molasses and the gingerbread spices: ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Vanilla goes in at the end.
How long does homemade gingerbread syrup last?
About 2 weeks in a closed bottle in the fridge, or up to 3 months frozen in an ice-cube tray.
How much gingerbread syrup goes in a latte?
About 30 ml (2 tablespoons) for a mug of about 350 ml. Start there and add more to taste.
Can I use honey or maple syrup instead of sugar?
Yes, for up to half the sugar. Stir honey in once the pan is off the heat. Honey is not for babies under 12 months.
Why did my gingerbread syrup crystallise?
It boiled too hard, or sugar crystals stuck to the side of the pan. Keep it at a gentle simmer, and brush the pan sides with a wet pastry brush. Warm a crystallised bottle gently in a water bath.
