Sweeten Your Breakfast with Herbal Syrup

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Need an easy hostess gift or a Christmas present for your brother with the sweet tooth or the grandma who makes the best waffles in the world? With herbal syrups, you’re covered.

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Vanilla Syrup with Lavender
Strawberry Syrup with Mint
Savory Rosemary Syrup
Blueberry-Orange Syrup with Vanilla
Apricot Syrup with Lemon Verbena

Have you ever considered making your own syrup? That gooey stuff we pour all over Sunday-morning pancakes and waffles takes on new excitement when it combines the intense flavors of the orchard, vineyard and herb garden. Generally less sweet than grocery-store varieties, homemade syrups taste brighter and inspire experimentation far beyond breakfast fare. Add a splash to a wine cooler or Italian soda, spoon some over ice cream or pound cake, or cool off on a hot day with syrup drizzled over shaved ice. You’ll find other suggestions for using them with the recipes below and in the box on page 32.

Syrups are easy to make. Use fresh fruits in season, a single favorite or a combination of several, or frozen fruits (cut down on the sugar if they’re already sweetened). Vary the herbs ­according to your whim or their availability. Consider the recipes below merely as starting points.

Store syrups in clean, tightly cap­ped bottles. Syrups may be refrigerated with little loss of flavor for as long as two months or frozen for up to six months (Vanilla Syrup with Lavender will keep, refrigerated, for at least eight months). Although syrups that have been frozen and thawed are somewhat less flavorful than freshly made syrups, they are unquestionably better than their store-bought counterparts.

When you discover how delicious these syrups are and how easy they are to make, you’ll want to make some to give your friends and family. Tie on a ribbon and include a tag with suggestions for use and storage. Don’t forget to save some for yourself.

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