Homemade herb-infused flavor syrups are a simple and delicious way to preserve the taste of summer. Perfect for mixing with sparkling water or homemade fermented beverages.
What Type of Herbs?
Flavor syrups can be made with all sorts of different herbs. The possibilities are only limited by what is in your garden or at the farmers’ market! Elixirs can be made with single herbs or combinations of several herbs.
Here are a few examples (contains affiliate links):
- French sorrel has an earthy-lemon flavor.
- Mint is classic.
- Lemon balm offers a more classic lemon flavor.
- Rosemary is my favorite. It’s packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.
- Lavender infusions are perfect for relaxation.
Long-term storage of flavor syrups
These flavor syrups are essentially a very strong brewed herbal tea. With no added sweetener, they will last for up to 5 days in the fridge. Adding sweetener may reduce this time to just two days!
Here are a few ways to increase the storage time of your herb-infused flavor syrups:
- Use boiling water to kill any microorganisms that might be on the herbs.
- Pour boiling water into your final storage and serving container prior to straining in the herbal infusion. This will kill any microorganisms in the storage container.
- Make sure your container has an air-tight lid.
Freezing herb-infused flavor syrups.
The BEST way to increase the storage time of your flavor syrups is to freeze them. I recommend freezing in individual serving-sized portions.
Probably the easiest way to freeze and serve flavor syrups is in an ice cube tray.
- Fill an ice cube tray with the herbal flavor syrups. Place in the freezer and leave them to freeze solid (about 4 hours)
- After the herbal syrups are frozen, pop them out of the ice cube tray and store them in a zip-top bag.
- Defrost the required number of ice cubes in the fridge prior to use.
How to Use Herb-Infused Flavor Syrups
Herbal syrups are great for mixing into all sorts of different types of beverages. Here are a few ways to serve your herbal elixirs:
- Mix with SodaStream or store-bought sparkling water. Start with a 1:4 ratio, and adjust to your personal preference.
- Herb-infused syrups are perfect for the 2nd ferment of water kefir, kombucha, or ginger bug. The sugar will provide the added boost needed to make really fizzy drinks.
- Use herbal elixirs to make trendy cocktails.
Herb-Infused Flavor Syrups
Herbal syrups are perfect for mixing with sparkling water or kombucha. They are a delicious way to enjoy the flavors of summer. See the section above for different flavor options and how to store herb-infused flavor syrups for the winter.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Beverages
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 quart-sized jar packed with fresh herbs
- 3 1/2 cups boiling water
- Sugar or other sweeteners (see notes)
Instructions
- Pack a quart-sized jar with herbs. You really want to fill the jar right up so you can get the most flavor possible from your infusion.
- Pour boiling water over the herbs and allow them to steep for 20 minutes.
- Strain the liquid into a clean jar.
- Herbal infusions don’t have to be sweetened, however, adding sugar is traditional. Feel free to add between 1 Tbsp to 1/2 cup of sugar per batch of water.
- Store the finished infusions in the fridge and use them within 5 days. Alternately, freeze them for long-term storage. See the section above for more details.
Notes
- I usually don’t add any sweetener to my herbal infusions. However, I’m definitely not a sweet tooth! Feel free to add a bit of your favorite sweeteners, including honey or sugar alternatives like xylitol
or stevia
.
- If you are planning on using the herbal infusion to flavor kombucha or water kefir, then use 1/2 cup white sugar. This will provide enough sugar to ferment and carbonate your probiotic pop.
Keywords: flavor, sodastream, kombucha, water kefir, jun, herbs, preservation, tincture, summer, fall, cocktails
Very helpful info, thanks. Do you know how much stevia to use as a sugar replacement in the Elixir recipe?
It really depends on the type of stevia you are using. They all have different replacement strengths. Use enough for 1 cup of sugar. If there isn’t information on the package, then start with 1 tsp, and add more depending on your taste. You want it to be sweet because your going to diluted it with soda water. Enjoy!
Kan dere lage å sende til meg?
Hi, I had to use google translate for this… and I think you are looking to buy herbal elixirs? They are really easy to make. However, you probably can also find someone in Europe who makes distilled elixirs. Cheers! Emillie
These are great! We drink sparkling water all the time, and this adds the flavor needed!
★★★★★