Homemade Drink Syrup

Last post I mentioned making homemade drink syrups that are similar to Kool Aide and that are made with fruits from the garden. My kids love this and it is very easy to make....there is an insane amount of sugar in there (maybe not quite as much as Kool Aide) but it is made with all natural stuff besides the sugar, so there's that...

to use the syrup you put a small amount (about 1T) in the bottom of a glass per 8 oz. You need to work out the exact amount you prefer...we like it a little more watery.

Supplies:

empty glass bottles (most of ours are from those times when the grandparents bring us cases of creame soda from Canada, but I've also bought bottles at garage sales, and taken used wine bottles from my mom's house)

Corks to fit the bottles (you can get these online--measure your bottle opening to calculate what size you need)

A small funnel and ladle

A kettle

Paraffin wax (you can buy a box of this at the grocers where you get canning supplies....I melt mine down using a small sauce pan with water and a small wide jar, and then I just save the melted down wax in that jar for future use. Be careful--wax does burn, and not only that, it can catch on fire if you don't double boil it).

What you do is this:

Pick fruits. If it is something like apples, you need to cut them in quarters but for berries you can just throw them into the kettle after washing them and picking out the leaves. Cover with just enough water to be 1 inch over the top, and let them simmmer until all of the fruit is soft.

To make herbal syrups, pick the herbs and wash, then make a strong infusion of them by placing them in enough water to cover them, and bringing it up to a gentle simmer. you don't want to harshly boil herbs or it gives off a strong bitter flavor!

Next, strain out the berries/herbs/fruit, and measure the amount of liquid. You may want to strain it a few times using a sieve or cheesecloth.

For every 2 cups of juice you need 1 2/3 cups of sugar (this is going to be a SYRUP not something you drink straight up).

Bring the liquid/sugar mixture up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, set a timer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat when 15 minutes are up.

Pour hot into hot bottles (I usually run the bottles through a dishwasher or leave in a sink of hot water), cork immediately, and after they have cooled enough to easily handle, dip the ends of the bottles into the melted paraffin wax to seal them.

Use one bottle at a time...keep the currently opened bottle in the refridgerator to prevent it from fermenting.

Experiment with different flavors...some of our favorites are:

1. chocolate mint (this is actually a variety of mint you can buy that tastes slightly chocolatey)

2. gooseberry

3. concord grape

4. Mulled Apple (boil apples with some mulling spices)

5. Birne Melissa (boil quarterd pears, then infuse the liquid with lemon balm)

Enjoy!!!