Milkshakes, Italian Sodas, or flavoured cocktails...they are all such refreshing summer drinks, and they all use fruit syrups, commonly referred to as "Torani," a brand popularized by chain coffee shops. While there is nothing wrong with buying a bottle of raspberry syrup to add to a drink for a flavour shot, why not avoid artifical flavourings and preservatives?
A Great Use of Seasonal Fruit
Everyone has some unwanted fruit softening or quietly browning somewhere in their house. It doesn't have to be tossed out to the compost heap just yet: You can throw it in the blender, add some sugar and boil it all down to a nice syrup. Once bottled, it can make a great gift, once stored in an airtight and sterilized bottle.
Kept in the refrigerator for those moments someone wants a fizzy fruit drink, it's a vitamin-packed and tasty alternative to fruit-flavoured sodas.
There are many options for making fruit syrups - it doesn't even have to be made with fruit or berries; some syrups are made with herbs like mint, or lavender, giving pancakes or sponge cake an unexpected burst of flavour when drizzled over the top as a garnish. As many uses there are for flavoured syrup, the varieties of flavours are only limited by the cook's imagination, or access to fruit.
Making Raspberry Fruit Syrup
A popular flavour is raspberry, and the following recipe can be modified to create any other fruit or berry syrup. The general rule of thumb for making fruit syrup is equal measures of sugar and water, and roughly four cups of any puréed fruit of your choice.
- 1 pound (roughly 4 cups) raspberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Bring berries, water and sugar to a boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Boil uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to prevent mixture from boiling over.
- Add lemon juice. (This prevents browning.)
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids.
- Let it cool: Once chilled, cover and store, refrigerated.
Epicurious.com has a wide range of fruit syrup recipes, from passion fruit syrup to simple syrup, but the web is generally full of great recipe ideas. A great one look resource for fruit syrup is jellyjamrecipes.com which has a good selection of recipes from pumpkin to blueberry. A Google search for Fruit Syrup or Italian Soda can yield some interesting results, so feel free to do some experimenting.
Advantages to DIY Torani
The great part of making one's homemade syrup, is that it can be adjusted to one's taste. If someone prefers the taste of fruit over the taste of sugar - or vice-versa - the syrup can be easily modified. Keep an eye on the boiling part: If too thick, it can be easily thinned out with more water. The end result should have the consistency of maple syrup, not a fruit sauce.
It's less expensive than buying several bottles, allows for any combination of fruit and berries, knowing there are no artificial flavours or colours can put some folks health concerns at ease. For bonus points, using organic, local fruit means a reduce carboon footprint: Supporting local farmers as well as avoiding pesticides is something worth lifting your glass and toasting to your good health.
Cheers!
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