I can personally attest that this caramel sauce made with all-natural maple syrup, is delicious.

How to use Maple Caramel Sauce

I love to use this maple caramel sauce:

• on cinnamon rolls,
• in a cup of tea,
• drizzled over cookies or ice cream, and
• (my favorite) added generously to a latte.

Not much better than a Salted Maple Caramel Latte if you ask me.

Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

Dive in and make some of this today… your world will be better for it.

I wouldn’t joke about something so good…

Ingredients for Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

1 cup maple syrup

2 TB butter

 1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp Redmond salt

Directions for making Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

1. Boil maple syrup in a medium-sized saucepan with pretty tall sides (it will bubble up a LOT) until a candy thermometer reads 225. (Don’t let it reach the softball stage.)
2. Turn off the heat and add in butter, stirring until it’s all melted.
3. Add cream and salt and stir, just until all mixed.
4. Store in a glass jar in fridge for many weeks.

Notes about Salted Maple Caramel Sauce

• A good candy thermometer is necessary to get this right, but they’re not expensive and they’re handy to have in the kitchen. This is a good one.
• If you choose a pot that’s not quite big enough and your maple syrup bubbles treacherously close to the top of your pan (trust me, it happens quickly!), don’t panic. Have a piece of butter ready to toss in your pot. The bubbles will instantly recede. It’s a simple sugarmaking trick (more about how to make your own maple syrup here) that works every time.
• This caramel sauce is delicious on cinnamon rolls, in a cup of tea, drizzled over cookies, ice cream, yogurt, and (my favorite) added generously to a latte. Not much better than a Salted Maple Caramel Latte if you ask me… iced and hot, both delicious. 

The post Caramel Sauce (Easy Recipe With Maple Syrup) first appeared on Souly Rested.

Truthfully, it hadn’t occurred to me.

Honestly, I’m not really into traditional Dr Pepper. I’ve always been a coca cola girl. 

Heck, growing up some of the stories I remember my Dad retelling the most were about the days when he was a coca-cola delivery driver around the steep streets of Cumberland, Maryland.

But this homemade version of Dr Pepper? Oh. My. Word. Honestly, even my coke-devoted Dad would have loved this.

I’ve tried a lot of “healthy” sodas. I’ve made a ton of sodas. I’ve made soda-flavored kombuchas.

This Homemade Dr Pepper recipe takes the cake on all of them. It’s the best homemade/healthy soda I’ve ever had. Period.

In face, even my picky son-in-law (who will try all of my crazy concoctions but doesn’t usually like them) came back for a second cup of this homemade Dr Pepper. Incredible.

Homemade soda: Dr Pepper edition

There are lots of stories about the origin of Dr Pepper. The most circulated one is that an old-school pharmacist (you know, back when pharmacies used to also be soda fountains) simply mixed Coke and root beer and came up with Dr Pepper.

I don’t know if that story is true or not, but I tend to think maybe not. Dr Pepper seems to have it’s own, distinctive flavor. One of those distinctive flavors being cherry. My homemade Dr Pepper includes either dried or fresh/frozen cherries (your choice), which I personally think is what really takes it over the top, making it amazingly flavorful.

I love homemade coke and root beer, but I truly think this homemade Dr Pepper might be my new favorite homemade soda. It’s that good.

What’s in homemade Dr Pepper?

The ingredient list for homemade Dr Pepper looks rather long. But don’t let that intimidate you. They’re actually pretty simple ingredients that you can interchange if needed. And lots of the herbs/spices used can be found pretty easily. My favorite tea, herb, and adaptogen company sells most of the things you’ll need. We’ll talk about substitutions later on.

Homemade Dr pepper is made with herbs, spices, sweetener, and juice. This combo is really the jackpot of flavor combinations.

The ingredients are:

Cinnamon (for that little “kick”–I link the best option at the bottom of this article)

Nutmeg 

Cloves (for that rich warm-ness)

Cardamom

Anise

Ginger root (either fresh or dried works–I link the best dried option at the bottom of this article)

Pepper (for that dash of spiciness)

Cherries (fresh or dried, for that classic cherry flavor)

Coconut sugar (I link the best option at the bottom of this article, but you can use brown sugar too)

Vanilla & almond extract

Orange juice and lemon juice

See? it’s a long list but not a complicated list. And the homemade Dr Pepper is worth gathering up a few ingredients.

What’s wrong with regular Dr Pepper?

Although I think we all know by now that conventional soda isn’t a health food, let’s talk about a few of the reasons why avoiding “regular” Dr Pepper might be a good idea.

1. Super high sugar content. A 12 oz can has almost 40 grams of sugar. That’s almost twice what an adult female should consume per day! Not only is there tons of sugar in Dr Pepper, but it’s not real sugar, either. It’s high fructose corn syrup (best case), or artificial sweeteners in diet Dr Pepper. Safe to say that homemade Dr Pepper made with coconut sugar is much better for your body. Read more about the best sugars to use (and which ones to avoid) here.
2. Most conventional sodas also contain something called Phosphoric Acid. This is used as a acidic compound in sodas, but it also doubles as–get this–a rust remover/metal cleaner. It’s also used as chemical fertilizer. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather avoid drinking chemicals that double as rust removers, please. Phosphoric Acid is known to lower bone density and also erode tooth enamel. Go figure.
3. Caramel colorings. Almost all cola/soda contains caramel coloring, which doesn’t even impact the flavor, it’s simply for looks. It has been found to cause cancer in some animal studies. I’ll pass, thanks.
4. Artificial flavors–of all kinds. Unlike homemade Dr Pepper, the conventional kind isn’t made with real herbs and spices. It’s made with a nice chunk of artificial (and “natural”) flavors. Their blends of “natural” and artificial flavors don’t even have to be disclosed to us (the consumer), so we’re not even sure exactly what blend of chemicals we’re consuming when we crack open a “regular” Dr Pepper.

It’s safe to say that homemade Dr Pepper soda (made with real ingredients!) is much better for our bodies than “regular” Dr Pepper, which is loaded with corn syrup, artificial flavors, and caramel coloring.

How to make a homemade Dr Pepper syrup for soda

Making homemade Dr Pepper soda syrup is super easy.

Simply gather your ingredients (I source a lot of them from my favorite botanicals company), simmer the herbs and spices together in a saucepan with water, strain, sweeten, and you’re on your way to a delicious homemade Dr Pepper!

If you’re using dried ginger and cherries, it is possible to mix all of the herbs and spices together into a dry “Dr Pepper mix” and use as needed. You’d still want to add the extracts, sweetener, and lemon/orange juice when you actually make your syrup, but if you really love this soda and want to make it faster, try mixing up a big batch of the dry ingredients for later.

Tips for making Dr Pepper syrup

• You do want to make sure that you keep the lid on your pot while you’re simmering your syrup, or else too much moisture will evaporate, and you’ll have very little syrup left by the end. Keep your syrup simmering on med-low with the lid on, and you’ll wind up with perfect homemade Dr Pepper syrup every time.
• If you prefer to leave out the lemon juice at the end of the simmering, try adding lemon slices/rind to your syrup while it’s simmering instead.
• Store your finished syrup in the fridge. I like to throw it into a pint mason jar with a lid. If you’re not able to use all of the syrup up and you’re worried it might go bad, try freezing the syrup in portioned ice cube trays for later usage. Just add seltzer water!
• Play around with the ratios of spices you personally like best. If you like things “spicier” try upping the peppercorns and/or anise. Like things sweeter? Try adding more cherries, or even try adding other fruits like raspberries or strawberries. Make your Dr Pepper syrup your own!

How to make Dr Pepper from scratch

Making Dr Pepper from scratch is as simple as making sure you have all the ingredients. In fact, it’s even possible to grow some of your own ingredients for homemade sodas! I’m growing DIY coke ingredients in my medicinal drink garden this summer. How cool is that? Homemade, homegrown soda.

But I digress. You definitely don’t need to grow your own ingredients in order to enjoy a Dr Pepper made from scratch.

To make Dr Pepper from scratch:

1. Make your syrup
2. Add the syrup to a cup with ice
3. Pour in your sparkling water (either make your own with this handy soda machine or buy plain seltzer in cans)
4. Enjoy your Dr Pepper made from scratch

Is homemade soda healthier?

Making your own soda allows you complete control of what you’re drinking. Not only do you get the plus side of avoiding certain ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and caramel coloring, but you also get to add good stuff like coconut sugar (which has antioxidants) and real ginger root (anti-inflammatory).

Homemade sodas also allows you to avoid the microplastics inevitably in soda cans and bottles. Straight from the ingredients, to the syrup, to the glass. No microplastics needed. (Homemade sodas are also better for the environment, avoiding wasteful single-use containers!)

Store bought sodas also tend to have added caffeine which just feels… unnecessary. Homemade sodas are naturally caffeine-free, which means you don’t need to worry about jitters, caffeine crashes, or mood swings.

Not is homemade soda healthier, but some homemade sodas wind up being cheaper to make than they would be to buy in the store. Which is crazy, especially considering homemade sodas are medicinal, and store bought ones… aren’t. Especially if you’re using a soda water machine instead of buying cans of soda water all the time, you might actually save money making your own sodas.

Homemade Dr Pepper Kombucha

Another benefit to homemade sodas is that you can actually RE-USE the ingredients! How cool is that. You don’t only get one batch of soda, but you can save the (strained) herbs and spices used to make your soda syrup, place them in a container in the fridge, and flavor kombucha second ferments all week long.

I use a few tablespoons of the Dr Pepper leftover ingredients per half gallon jar of kombucha, and it’s always super flavorful. Dr Pepper kombucha, anyone? Yes, please.

If you don’t want to make your own version of Dr Pepper kombucha (or even if you don’t feel like mixing or gathering up all the Dr Pepper soda syrup ingredients, you can use this pre-mixed Dr Pepper flavored tea instead.)

Homemade Dr Pepper kombucha is essentially a naturally fermented Dr Pepper soda. It’s one of my favorite kombucha flavors.

If you’d like to make naturally fermented teas and sodas but are intimidated by the process, I’ve written Kombucha Academy for folks just like you. Use the code “soulyrested” to start making kombucha at home, at a discount.

How to make Dr Pepper kombucha

1. Add 1-2 tablespoons of simmered soda syrup herbs and spices to a jar with 1st ferment kombucha
2. Allow to sit overnight or 12-24 hours for maximum flavor
3. Enjoy your naturally-fermented Dr Pepper kombucha!

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Dr Pepper Recipe (homemade soda)

Ingredients

To simmer:

• 1½ cups water
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon chunks
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 whole star anise pod
• 1 tablespoon dried ginger root
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns
• 1/3 cup dried cherries OR 1 cup fresh/frozen cherries

After simmering:

• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

• Simmer the spices and water in a covered saucepan for about 20 minutes on med-low.
• Strain the chunks out of the syrup, making sure to get all the syrup out of the cherries. Add the sugar while the syrup is still warm.
• Stir in the extracts and juices.
• Store syrup in a jar in the fridge for 2+ weeks.

To make a Dr Pepper soda:

• Add ¼ cup syrup to roughly 8 oz (or about 1 cup) seltzer water.*

Notes

*You can either use soda machine to make carbonated water for your Dr pepper, or you can purchase cans/bottles of plain seltzer to use instead.

Notes about this Dr. Pepper recipe

I started growing my own anise to use in this recipe and it works great. I dry the plant and use both the leaves and the tiny flowers. Both taste like licorice. Read more about what else I grow in my Medicinal Drink Garden.

Feel free to use fresh ginger root in place of the dried ginger, if you have it on hand. You’ll need about 3 TB of fresh.

You can choose an unflavored or (my preference) cherry seltzer water to make your glass of soda or I use this soda machine.

Some ingredients I use to make Dr. Pepper at home

* Use code SOULYRESTED for 15% off your entire first order of $100 or more with Azure Standard, delivered to a drop near you.

More like Dr Pepper Recipe–Homemade Soda:

• DIY Coke: yes, you can make your own delicious soda
• Homemade Root Beer (with REAL ingredients)
• How to make tea blends
• Homemade chai latte: 3 easy ways

The post Dr Pepper recipe: Homemade soda first appeared on Souly Rested.

Given that Coke and root beer are probably the most popular soda flavors, I’m starting there.

But I’m not stopping there–no. The soda industry will hate to see me coming my the time I’m through developing delicious homemade soda recipes. Okay, they’ll never even know that little ole me was over here doing this, but hopefully YOU will & your family will love these.

To start, let’s talk about why we should be avoiding conventional sodas in the first place. I mean, they’re crisp, sweet, delicious perfection. What can be wrong? If you like artificial flavors, colors, and sugars in your drinks and don’t mind the havoc those ingredients are wreaking on your body, by all means, skip this post by.

Sidenote, to be totally transparent, I definitely enjoy my fake-sugar-fake-color-fake-flavored conventional sodas once in a great while. But these homemade ones have replaced the junk for me and they’re great when I’m craving a soda but don’t want the junk.

More of a Dr Pepper fan? Don’t miss my viral Dr Pepper recipe.

Why is homemade root beer better than store bought?

Store bought root beer is packed full of artificial sugars (hello high fructose corn syrup!), dyes, and flavors.

In fact, most of the soft drinks on the market today are essentially liquid cocaine. Scientific studies have shown that they induce cravings that are comparable to addictive drugs. (source) We dove deep into this in episode 11 of season 3 of the Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy podcast. 

But when you make your own root beer, not only can you control the amount and type of sweetener you’re using, but you can also completely control and customize the ingredients. For example, did you know that homemade Coke can be medicinal?

The same is true of homemade root beer. It contains real ingredients like sarsaparilla root (anti-inflammatory and naturally helps detox your body), licorice root (high in antioxidants), ginger root (good for managing blood sugar and cholesterol), and other beneficial ingredients.

Did you also know that unrefined sugars can be packed full of antioxidants and other beneficial things? Learn more about the best sugars to use.

So homemade root beer can be backed with beneficial ingredients, from the spices used to the sweetener you choose to use. The choice is clear–homemade root beer is SO much better than the fake store bought kind.

Root beer recipe with REAL ingredients

This root beer recipe comes with a few different options.

1. You can purchase an all-natural root beer syrup kit and use that to make your homemade root beer.
2. You can make your own root beer mix (recipe below).
3. You can order a root beer concentrate to use in place of a dry mix. (This is my least favorite option because you miss out on the benefits of the herbs and spices)

What ingredients are in homemade root beer?

Whether you’re using the root beer syrup kit or making your own, the ingredients are relatively the same and will have a similar outcome. The ingredients in this homemade root beer are:

• sarsaparilla root
• licorice root
• anise seed
• ginger root (either fresh or dried)
• clove
• allspice
• vanilla
• mint, optional

Technically you can substitute wintergreen for the anise and licorice root with a similar result. But I found wintergreen difficult to find, and the combination of anise and licorice create a similar flavor profile as wintergreen. (If I keep making my own root beer I just might have to invest in a wintergreen plant so I can harvest my own! I’m eyeing the wintergreen plants from this company.)

I still like to add a little mint in there to add a touch of the wintergreen-esque flavor. But since I don’t have wintergreen around, I just use any old mint I’m growing at the time. This one is orange mint, which adds a nice little “zesty-ness” to this root beer recipe.

Where do I get the ingredients to make root beer?

I’m currently starting my first ever Medicinal Drink Garden and hoping to soon grow every ingredient I need to make homemade sodas.

But, thankfully, you can source every single one of these ingredients from my all-time favorite food supplier. And you’ll save $30 off your first order of $100 or more with code SOULYRESTED. Go here to find a delivery location near you.

Is homemade root beer good?

I’m not going to tell you that homemade root beer (especially the kind made with real spices) tastes exactly like A&W or Barqs. But I will say, when the craving for a bubbly, sweet drink hits, this homemade root beer hits the spot.

I’m a huge fan of olipop soda knockoffs, and honestly that’s exactly what this tastes like, an olipop knockoff of name brand root beer.

A couple tips for making homemade soda taste amazing:

• Make sure it’s ice cold. Nobody likes a lukewarm soda, and using plenty of ice and making sure your seltzer water is crisp and cold will help your homemade root beer taste its best.
• Add enough sweetener to make it taste good. We all want to drink less sugar, but if you’re really craving a sweet, cold, crisp soda, a barely-sweetened one just might not hit the spot. Find the sweet (pun intended!) spot for you.
• Adjust the ingredients to suit your taste buds. More of an A&W root beet fan? Add some extra vanilla (or even a splash of cream!) to lighten it up and add that signature vanilla-y creaminess that A&W has. If you’re more of a Barq’s fan, you might want to add a bit more cloves or allspice for that signature dark, spicy flavor. Or sweeten your drinks with molasses to make them even richer.
• Try adding other flavorings, like citrus peels, fruit syrups, or peppercorns to adjust the flavor. Have fun with it!

How to make homemade root beer recipe

Making root beer is really simple. Basically you’ll mix up the ingredients into a root beer “mix” (or purchase a pre-mixed version).

Then you’ll simmer that mixture in water until it evaporates into a root beer syrup.

Then you simply strain and sweeten the syrup and mix it with sparkling water whenever the root beer craving strikes.

You can store the root beer concentrate syrup in a jar in the fridge for a couple weeks.

Bam–healthy, homemade root beer that tastes delicious.

In order to assemble your homemade root beer recipe, you’ll need some form of sparkling water or seltzer. I use this handy-dandy machine to make my sparkling water at home, but if you don’t have a machine any ole’ can or bottle of plain sparkling water will do the trick. I made soda for years before investing in seltzer water machine by keeping cans of plain seltzer on hand. Does the trick perfectly.

Old-fashioned root beer float recipe (with homemade root beer recipe!)

It’s hard to not love a good old root beer float, isn’t it? The sparkling, spicy goodness of the root beer combined with the sweet creaminess of the ice cream? Unreal. But when it’s made with this homemade root beer recipe, and homemade maple ice cream? It’s not only insanely delicious, it’s also, dare I say, healthy!

It’s still obviously a treat, but it’s packed with REAL ingredients that you can pronounce. Enjoying a root beer float knowing every single ingredient in the entire float is awesome. 

How to make a root beer float with homemade root beer recipe

• Homemade root beer (recipe below)
• Homemade maple ice cream (or any ice cream will work, but I’m partial to this one!)

Simply mix your root beer syrup with the sparkling water, as described below.

Add a scoop (or two) of ice cream on top, making sure you have enough room in your glass to allow for the fizz.

Enjoy your completely-from-scratch root beer float!

Are you team spoon or straw for your root beer floats? I tend to find I need one of each to fully enjoy mine.

Let’s talk about why we’re addicted to junky soda…

FAQ: your root beer recipe questions, answered

Is this recipe safe for kids?

Absolutely! In fact, all the same principals we talked above about above apply to kids, as well. It’s lower in sugar than the “real” thing and packed full of healthy (and tasty!) spices. They’ll love this sweet, sparkly homemade root beer!

How do I make this without a sparkling water machine?

Although I love my sparkling water machine, it’s easy to make homemade root beer without one. Simply purchase canes (or bottles) of plain seltzer water, and use them as needed to make your root beer!

Can I substitute ingredients if I can’t find one?

You certainly can. I can’t guarantee the end result will taste exactly the same unless the recipe is followed as written, but, who knows–maybe you’ll come up with a homemade soda you’ll love even more than the original!

Can I ferment this recipe for natural bubbles?

Definitely. In fact, I’ve even made all-natural root beer kombucha before! It’s tasty, but I will warn you that the kombucha overpowers the root beer flavors just a bit and still tastes like, well, kombucha. That’s why I tend to just use sparkling water when I’m craving that “real” soda flavor. But play around with what you like and let me know what you try in the comments!

If you want to know more about kombucha, find out How to Make Kombucha with a SCOBY.

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Root Beer Recipe (real ingredients!)

Servings 8 cups root beer

Ingredients

For homemade root beer mix*

• 2 tablespoons dried sarsaparilla root
• 1 tablespoon licorice root
• 2 teaspoons anise seed
• 2 teaspoons dried ginger root
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 2 sprigs fresh mint* optional
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1-1.5 cups coconut sugar or brown sugar

For homemade root beer

• 1/4-1/3 cup root beer syrup concentrate
• 1 cup sparkling water

Instructions

For the Root Beer Syrup

• In a saucepan, combine either 1/3 cup of THIS root beer mix, OR entire mixture listed above (minus the vanilla and sugar) with 4 cups of water.
• Bring to a boil, than reduce heat to simmer. Allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the water has been reduced to roughly half.
• Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, add sweetener, and store in a jar. If using homemade root beer mix, add the vanilla extract now.

To Make Root Beer Soda

• Combine 1/4-1/3 cup root beer syrup with about 1 cup cold sparkling water (I make my own with this fancy machine). Adjust the syrup-sparkling water ratio to suit your taste. Add ice and enjoy.

Notes

*OR substitute for pre-mixed Root Beer kit. Use code "soulyrested"

I like to add fresh mint to my root beer syrup whether I'm using a homemade or bought mix. It adds a touch of extra flavor that I enjoy. I usually just use peppermint or spearmint, but any type of mint will do.

My favorite way to "jazz" this homemade root beer up is to finish each cup with a splash of lemon juice and a dallop of vanilla bean paste.

More like root beer recipe (with real ingredients!):

• DIY coke… yes you can make your own homemade soda!
• Lipton tea knockoff recipe
• Homemade chai latte: 3 easy ways
• Make Kombucha
• Dr Pepper recipe: homemade soda

The post Root Beer Recipe (with real ingredients!) first appeared on Souly Rested.

You’re going to love adding this easy-to-make kick of mint to so many drinks and even food. And, because you’re making it yourself, you enjoy this syrup with zero guilt. Heck, you’re going to be asking, “who knew healthy could be this good?”

Make Peppermint Syrup

Because it’s made with all-natural sugar, this peppermint syrup is all about adding some minerals and polyphenols to your day. And it’s also all about what you’re NOT adding to your next iced latte or bowl of ice cream.

So pat your back that you’re making your own peppermint syrup, I’m glad you’re here, friend.

Is peppermint syrup good in coffee?

But it gets worse…. much worse.

Peppermint syrup usually lists natural flavors in their ingredients, essentially to hide whatever chemicals they’d like to add.

Listen to Episode 131. Why we can’t trust ingredients that are “Generally Recognized as Safe” for some insight into how most Big Food companies legally add ingredients that aren’t even officially approved by the FDA. And follow the Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy podcast here.

On top all that (as if insane amounts of refined sugars and undisclosed chemicals wasn’t enough), peppermint syrup is often loaded with preservatives–which are known hormone disruptors–and citric acid, which is made from black mold. (Eeeeewwww, right?)

Make Peppermint Syrup, the easy way

Most simple syrup recipes are made up of about 50% refined sugar. And most recipes require soaking your mint in with your hot water and all that sugar. Since it’s granulated, refined sugar it’s important to add the sugar while the water is hot, so the sugar can dissolve.

I decided years ago to start making simple syrups a better (and easier!) way. Go here for all the details about the easiest way to make simple syrup, with all kinds of edible flowers, herbs, and plants.

A Recipe for Peppermint Syrup

• Fill a pint jar with dried mint leaves then cover with hot water.
• After completely cool (overnight is fine), strain out mint.
• Add 1/4 cup of maple syrup or honey for every 1 cup of water.

Notes about making peppermint syrup

Feel free to make this simple syrup with honey instead of maple syrup. Coconut sugar is also a great all-natural, complex sugar that would work well in this recipe, you would simply have to add that and stir it well into the hot water and then soak the mint leaves in the saturated sugar water until it cools.

What’s the difference between peppermint extract and peppermint syrup?

Peppermint extract is made with only 2 ingredients, alcohol and mint, and it’s very concentrated. For a full dessert recipe you might only use 1-2 tsp. But like simple syrup, extract is also easy to make yourself. Go here for my DIY  Mint Extract & how to use it.

But peppermint syrup is made up of 3 ingredients, water, mint, and a sweetener, and it is not concentrated. For one drink you might want to add 2-3 tablespoons of peppermint syrup. Or if you’re brushing it over a cake before icing, you’ll need at least 1/4 cup, if not more, of the simple syrup.

What are the benefits of peppermint syrup?

Peppermint is such a great herb. It’s been used for all sorts of ailments since the beginning of time. I personally find it is very soothing and it helps ease an upset stomach. Go here for a long list of reasons to add mint to your diet.

I often enjoy a cup of peppermint tea by just soaking some dried peppermint leaves in a mug of hot water for 3-5 minutes. Even better, I love this minty tea that I make myself. While I call it “The Best Christmas Tea,” don’t let the name fool you… I drink it all year round.

What is the purpose of simple syrup?

I personally love simple syrup for easily sweetening a cold drink. In any situation where a dry sugar will not dissolve, a simple syrup is a great choice, since it is liquid and mixes in nicely without any effort.

But the true charm of simple syrup is the array of flavors it allows you to add to your drinks.

Go here for the easiest way to make simple syrups. And here are just a few wonderful simple syrup recipes…

Other simple syrup recipes you’ll love

• Lilac Simple Syrup
• Forsythia Simple Syrup
• Elderberry Simple Syrup
• Rhubarb Simple Syrup
• Make your own Coke!

Save the recipe for peppermint syrup for later

The post How to Make Peppermint Syrup, the easy way first appeared on Souly Rested.

I’m about to show you something that will change the way you look at soda forever.

Can you really make homemade soda?

I don’t know when I last had a soda (I do give into my temptation a few times a year, probably), but today I had a crazy obsession for coke, so I knew today was the day to give this homemade soda idea a try.

So I started googling, and searching my pantry, and googling more for substitutes for many things I didn’t have on hand.

The result? Well I have a quart jar of soda syrup stashed in the fridge, I’m on my second glass of this DIY coke, and I’m in LOVE.

I also have a 1/2-gallon jar of DIY Coke Kombucha fermenting as we speak… more on that below.

Edit to add: If you’re here for ALL the homemade soda, don’t miss my Homemade Root Beer Recipe AND my VIRAL homemade Dr Pepper recipe.

Is Homemade soda better for you?

Most of the soft drinks on the market today are essentially liquid cocaine. Scientific studies have shown that they induce cravings that are comparable to addictive drugs. (source) We dove deep into this in episode 11 of season 3 of the podcast. 

So yes, homemade soda is much better for you. You are in charge of every ingredient, so you know exactly what is in your homemade soda. And, maybe most importantly, you can choose how to sweeten your homemade soda. You can choose to use an all-natural sugar that won’t spike your blood sugar level, which is what leads to so many problems and you can choose how much sugar. My goal is to slowly wean down the amount of sugar I’m using in our homemade soda so it’s even better for us.

How to make your own soda?

You have choices. You can pull together the ingredients yourself or you can use an all-natural syrup mix. Both are great options and I’ll walk you through both.

First, let’s start with the from-scratch option. I bet you have all of these things in your kitchen right now. Well, maybe not the lavender. But that’s okay. Read the recipe notes for substitution ideas for lavender, as well as many other items on this list.

If you’d rather opt for purchasing a completely natural, pre-mixed coke soda mix, this one is amazing. Not only is it made with the same quality of ingredients you’d stock your own kitchen with, but purchases support a small family-run business. Plus I even have a code just for my readers (“soulyrested”).

Oh, one thing you won’t find in either version of this DIY coke? Caramel color. Yeah, I’ll skip the cancer-causing, oh-so-bad-for-me ingredient that you find in every can of coke, and I’ll be perfectly happy with a yellow colored glass of soda.

More of a root beer fan? Get my root beer recipe here.

Can you buy a kit for making homemade soda?

YES! If you don’t want to try to source your ingredients and make your own cola syrup, you can absolutely buy a mix from a trusted, small-family business that I have been ordering from for many years. In fact, after years of making my own cola syrup, I heard that Farmhouse Teas came out with this Kola Syrup Mix and I knew instantly I had to try it. (Use code SOULYRESTED to save $$, if you want to try it out. Oh, and they make other delicious teas and a root beer syrup kit! If you spend $59 or more shipping is free!)

This syrup, when combined with carbonated water, tastes just like a tall, cold glass of Coke. BUT you get to choose the sugars you use, so you can make it with all-natural sugar options that don’t spike your blood sugar level.

Better yet, this Kola Syrup Mix is made with medicinal ingredients, not addictive ones. It’s made of powder from a nut that grows in West Africa that is world-renowned for providing energy, reducing appetite, and helping manage depression and anxiety.

While I’m not saying a glass of this will solve all your problems, it sure is a delicious step in that direction.

One Kola Syrup Kit will make 4 quarts of syrup, total, which means each kit makes about 13 2L amounts of homemade soda.

And bonus, if you care about the color of your soda, unlike my from-scratch soda, this soda even almost has the caramel color of Coke, since it’s made with kola nut powder.

Is homemade soda cheaper?

Because my Homemade Soda Syrup makes a whole quart of syrup, and you only need 1 TB for a cup of soda, it’s always going to be cheaper than buying Coke. Plus, you can make exactly how much you want instead of opening a whole 2L of soda and winding up with a flat drink that noone wants to drink before the 2L is empty.

If you make homemade soda with the Kola Syrup Mix that I love I’m very happy to report that you can make a 2-liter’s-worth of homemade soda for $2.99 worth of syrup. I don’t know about where you live, but we would have to pay that much at our local store for a 2L of Coke and this homemade soda is FAR superior and SO much better for our family.

I’m even going to try to grow some of the ingredients for making DIY soda in my garden this year… More about that here: Growing Herbs for Tea (& more)

Can you make cola kombucha?

Yes! You can make kombucha that either option above, the from-scratch recipe I share or the Kola Syrup Kit.

Cola kombucha recipe:

Combine 1/4 cup of soda syrup with 1/2 gallon of first ferment kombucha. Let sit at room temperature 1-3 days. (Find out more about how much money you save making your own kombucha here.)

Or, for another alternative, keep the ingredients you strain out of your sauce pan (the ginger and lavender), and steep that in 1 gallon of first ferment kombucha for 1-3 days at room temperature

Soda kombucha, without second ferment:

Combine soda syrup and first ferment kombucha, 1 TB syrup per every 1 cup kombucha, and enjoy immediately. (And here’s another floral kombucha recipe you might love.)

How long does homemade syrup last?

Homemade syrup lasts for a week or two in the fridge. But it can last for a year or longer if you want to freeze it.

It’s super easy to freeze your homemade soda syrup ! Simply fill ice cube trays with your soda syrup and freeze until solid. Store cubes in freezer-safe container and use 2-3 cubes in a tall glass of cherry seltzer water for the most amazing ice-cold homemade Cherry Coke you can imagine.

How do you make soda without a machine?

While I love our soda machine, it is new to us and I’ve been making homemade soda for years. Simply add a can of carbonated seltzer water to your syrup, no machine necessary. If you do have a soda machine, I don’t recommend adding your syrup to the machine. Unless you like volcanic-like explosions. Simply carbonate cold water and add that to your syrup.

What are the steps in making coke?

I have no idea what steps are included in making genuine Coca-Cola, and the ingredient list is closely guarded. But I’ve worked at creating a delicious drink my family enjoys that sure does taste a lot like the real deal.

And I’m going to break down exactly how I do it. Because, well, the world needs a Coke substitute that has zero junk. If you’re ready to skip the dyes and artificial ingredients and enjoy a guilt-free refreshing soda, here are the steps you need to know…

Homemade Soda Recipe

• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp anise extract (or see notes for substitution)
• 1 tsp dried lavender (save $$ with code SOULYRESTED)
• 4 tsp minced ginger
• 1 TB vanilla extract (I love this one)
• 3/4 tsp white vinegar OR apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups maple syrup

Combine all ingredients except the maple syrup in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain out the solids.

Pour into a quart jar and let cool.

Add the maple syrup and stir.

Keep refrigerated for up to a month.

Yield: 1 quart of soda syrup

To make homemade soda, combine 1 tablespoon of your homemade soda syrup with 1 cup of seltzer water or club soda. Serve over ice.

Or, we love making our own carbonated water too. This is our soda machine. I love it because I can use my own ingredients (usually fruit) to make any flavor of bubbly water I want. (Most soda machines don’t let you add ingredients to the machine.)

Sidenote: I source most of my ingredients from Azure Standard. Go here to find out how this independent food supply chain is fixing a broken food system and connecting food suppliers directly to consumers.

Homemade Soda NOTES

• Substitute 1/2 tsp anise extract with  1/4 tsp allspice.
• Swap in a ¼ teaspoon allspice, cinnamon or nutmeg for every tablespoon of fresh ginger. Or substitute 1/4 tsp ground ginger for every 1 TB fresh ginger.
• Or use 1/4 tsp turmeric powder in place of the 4 tsp fresh ginger in this recipe.
• If you want to always be prepared to make this, consider grating some fresh ginger and freezing it.
• You could substitute honey in place of maple syrup.
• Dried lavender leaves can be used instead of lavender flowers. But I love the great quality of these lavender flowers if you’d like to stock up on some. Use code SOULYRESTED and save.
• If you don’t have lavender on hand, or maybe are waiting on these great lavender flowers that you ordered, you could try an equal amount of a few other herbs instead that might work pretty well. (If you try one, please let me know!): rosemary, lemon thyme, or mint.
• Have fun trying all different flavors of seltzer, make lime coke, strawberry coke, orange coke, you name it… my favorite is black cherry coke. Mmmmmm.
• If you splurge on a carbonated water machine–we LOVE this one–then you can really experiment with lots of neat flavors that you make (I just made a raspberry ginger coke… so good!).
• I source many of these ingredients from Azure Standard. Go here to find out how this independent food supply chain is fixing a broken food system and connecting food suppliers directly to consumers.
• All the ingredients for this homemade soda are included on my Pantry Checklist, which is also loaded with discount codes for you on all my favorite real food ingredients. Download your own Pantry Checklist right here.

Print

DIY Coke-homemade soda

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp anise extract or see notes for substitution
• 1 tsp dried lavender
• 4 tsp minced ginger
• 1 TB vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp white vinegar OR apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups maple syrup

Instructions

To make homemade soda syrup:

• Combine all ingredients except the maple syrup in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and strain out the solids.
• Pour into a quart jar and let cool.
• Add the maple syrup and stir.
• Keep refrigerated for up to a month.

To make homemade soda WITH your syrup:

• To make homemade soda, combine 1 tablespoon of your homemade soda syrup with 1 cup of seltzer water or club soda. Serve over ice.

Notes

• Substitute 1/2 tsp anise extract with  1/4 tsp allspice.
• Swap in a ¼ teaspoon allspice, cinnamon or nutmeg for every tablespoon of fresh ginger. Or substitute 1/4 tsp ground ginger for every 1 TB fresh ginger.
• Or use 1/4 tsp turmeric powder in place of the 4 tsp fresh ginger in this recipe.
• If you want to always be prepared to make this, consider grating some fresh ginger and freezing it.

This is the organic dried ginger I use if I don’t have fresh grated ginger available. (Use code SOULYRESTED)

If you like homemade soda, you’ll love these drink recipes:

Homemade gatorade

Homemade Healthy Tea Blend that Tastes Like Coffee

Healthy Hot Chocolate Mix

One Drink we Need to Ditch (podcast episode)

Homemade Root Beer Recipe (with REAL ingredients!)

Dr Pepper recipe: homemade soda

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3: 12-13

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But I started wondering last week… can you make simple syrup from rhubarb?

Rhubarb is an amazing plant. The ruby red and green stems are loaded with antioxidants… mainly anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, or so I’ve read. I had to look them up to find out more. It turns out these type of antioxidants protect us from all kinds of health issues, from diabetes to heart disease to cancer. And they’re anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. (source)

When I read all that, well, that sealed the deal, guys.

Just try and keep me from making a delicious syrup with these gorgeous, ruby-tinted stalks.

How & Why to Make Rhubarb Simple Syrup

I’ve been obsessed with concocting yummy new iced drinks this summer, like maple switchel and maple lemonade, so I wanted a delicious, naturally sweet simple syrup that I could add to any new iced drink recipe that I come up with this summer. (Side note, these teas are almost always a part of my new recipes. If you want to try some, use code SOULYRESTED for 10% off your entire order.)

And while I love using lilac syrup and all these simple syrups, I was really wanting to create one that is not only nutritious but also sugar-free. This rhubarb simple syrup fits the bill.

Deliciously.

How to Use Rhubarb Simple Syrup

Use Rhubarb simple syrup to add antioxidants and natural sweetness to your day in so many ways…

Use rhubarb simple syrup in place of plain ole sugar in things like:

• rhubarb lemonade
• rhubarb-infused cocktails
• rhubarb iced tea (see recipes below)
• rhubarb hot tea (see a recipe for that below too)
• rhubarb kombucha (just add some rhubarb simple syrup to your second ferment)
• rhubarb sparkling water

Or enjoy rhubarb simple syrup one of these fun ways:

• Pour it as a lite syrup over vanilla ice cream; an amazingly special summer night treat.
• Brush a cake with rhubarb syrup before icing it; your cake will not only be extra delicious, but extra moist.
• Go a step further and poke a few small holes in the top of any fresh-baked cake with a tooth pick, after the cake has cooled. Then lightly drizzle rhubarb simple syrup over the top of the cake, smoothing it out across the top as well. Let it sit for an hour or so before icing the cake, so the rhubarb syrup can fully incorporate into the cake. Mmmmmm.
• Sweeten your next fruit salad with drizzles of rhubarb syrup. You’ll not only add a taste to relish on your fruit, but you’ll up the antioxidants and nutrition of your fruit. btw, this lid on a mason jar of rhubarb syrup helps a lot with drizzling the syrup over your fruit or cakes.

Rhubarb Simple Syrup

Ingredients

1 cup chopped rhubarb 

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1 TB dried mint

6 cups water

1/2 TB dried stevia leaves

Directions

Heat everything but the stevia in an uncovered sauce pan, on high, until it comes to a boil. Then reduce to medium heat, stirring often, until rhubarb is mushy, about 8-10 minutes total. Remove from heat, add stevia leaves, cover pan, and let stevia steep for a few minutes.

Strain your rhubarb simple syrup into a mason jar (this fancy syrup lid is completely optional, but it sure makes you feel pretty legit) and store in fridge for a week or two.

Recipe Notes

• Feel free to make your rhubarb simple syrup with other sweeteners. I’m sure it would be delicious with honey or maple syrup. I just wanted to keep it close to zero calories while keeping it all-natural and good-for-me.
• If you’d like your rhubarb simple syrup to have more punch, double your amount of rhubarb that you use in 6 cups of water.
• I love simple syrups because they are liquid sweeteners, so you can add them directly to a cold drink. Magically easy.
• Use your rhubarb simple syrup to sweeten light-colored drinks like white teas and lemonade for beautifully colored refreshments.

Favorite Drinks Made with Rhubarb Simple Syrup

Add Rhubarb Syrup to any fruit smoothie… or try one (or all!) of these delicious teas that I’m in love with:

Raspberry Rhubarb Champagne Tea

This tea is very light and refreshing. It wouldn’t be strong enough for me for a cup of warm tea, but it’s fantastic on a hot summer day.

4 TB Raspberry Champagne Tea

1 cup hot water

1 cup rhubarb simple syrup

Steep loose leaf tea in hot water for 5-10 minutes, then add chilled rhubarb simple syrup. Serve chilled.

Rhubarb Berry Tea

3 cups hot water

3 TB black tea (I love this one).

3 cups rhubarb simple syrup

Steep tea in hot water for 4-5 minutes. Remove tea strainer and add in 3 cups of rhubarb simple syrup. Serve this tea iced cold.

Orange Rhubarb Oolong 

This tea is delicious, served warm or cold.

1 TB Orange Blossom Special tea

8-10 oz hot water

3-4 oz rhubarb simple syrup

Because Oolong needs to steep at a lower temperature than my hot water dispenser is usually set to, this is my favorite way to reduce the water temperature deliciously. Fill mug with 8-10 oz of hot water (my dispenser is set to 195 degrees). Then add 3-4 oz of rhubarb simple syrup. Steep loose leaf tea in the now-cooler syrup/water combo in your mug for 3 1/2 minutes. Remove tea and enjoy.

More Wonderful Syrup

How to make Lilac Syrup

The Hands-Down Easiest Way to Make Simple Syrup

How to Make Maple Syrup–20 Tips for the Beginner

How to Use Rhubarb Syrup in DIY Kombucha

Find out why SoulyRested is considered to be one of the Top 20 Must-Read Homesteading Blogs … year after year.

 

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I didn’t even think about this. I didn’t know about any of the scientific studies that have shown all the wonderful reasons to enjoy elderberry syrup when I was scaling a concrete wall and inching down a steep incline to reach the river bed where a neighbor had spied a wild elderberry tree.

I just knew I wanted to make some of this delicious syrup myself and it was worth the climb. Plus, y’all know I’m a maple syrup fanatic, so it stands to reason I love elderberry syrup. Read more about maple goodness here and grab a copy of my book if you want to know more on that topic.

How to Make Elderberry Syrup

Ingredients

2 cups berries (fresh, frozen, or dried elderberries)

4 cups water

1 TB fresh, grated ginger

1 cinnamon stick

Maple syrup (roughly 1-2 cups)

Directions

1. Remove berries from stems. This is the most time consuming part, because these berries are small. 
2. Simmer all ingredients except maple syrup, over medium heat for 30 minutes
3. Crush berries with fork occasionally, as they simmer
4. Strain berries out of juice, with one more crush session, to get out all the juice
5. Add 1 1/2 cup maple syrup for every 2 cups of syrup that you have
6. Store in fridge for months, or bottle in pint jars and hot water bath can for 10 minutes.

Recipe Notes

• Don’t have fresh elderberries? Use these dried elderberries, in the same ratio as fresh berries. With 1 pound of dried elderberries you can make roughly eight 16-oz bottles of syrup… way more than my little recipe makes. And buying dried berries will be a huge savings over buying elderberry syrup! Code SOULYRESTED saves $$!
• Want to make it but have all the guess work taken out for you? Make your own elderberry syrup using this kit. Use code SOULYRESTED and save!
• Don’t have the time to make your own? This family’s elderberry syrup is amazing, not to mention the best price I’ve found! And code SOULYRESTED saves 15%!
• If you purchase this elderberry syrup you can even choose if you want your syrup sweetened with honey or maple syrup! (nd code SOULYRESTED saves 15%!)

More Articles About Syrup

How to make Lilac Syrup

The Hands-Down Easiest Way to Make Simple Syrup

How to Make Maple Syrup–20 Tips for the Beginner

Using Lilac Syrup & Elderberry Syrup to make Kombucha

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I’m sharing my Easy Simple Syrup Recipe & you might become obsessed. I know I am.

This post contains affiliate links. Go here to read the full (ultra fun) legal disclosure about that.

The hardest part of this recipe might just be deciding what blooms you want to turn into floral simple syrup. Read on for inspiration in that department.

Easy Simple Syrup Recipe

Some days you want “easy,” right?

In general, I thoroughly believe “simple” doesn’t often mean “easy.” Heck, I named my whole podcast off of this belief.

But sometimes… once in a while… simple gets pretty darn close to being easy. And I’m over here doing a jig in my muck boots I’m so excited about this latest example.

What is simple syrup made of?

Standard simple syrup is made up of sugar and water. But today we’re talking about floral simple syrup, so it’s made up of 3 ingredients, well, kindof. It’s still just water and a sweetener, but the water is first infused with flowers.

Before I discovered how easy it could be to make floral simple syrup, my go-to way to make simple syrup was to boil water and sugar, then simmer the flowers in the sugar water for 10 minutes.

Side note, in case you’re wondering, I used to make lilac syrup with refined sugar. Before I became a sugarmaker and started writing my book, Sweet Maple.

The more I learned about all-natural, complex sugars compared to refined sugar, I try to stick with the good stuff theses days. My #1 go-to is coconut sugar (pssst… it’s made from the flower’s nectar and tastes nothing like coconut) if I can’t use maple syrup, or honey, or make my own maple sugar.

See my Guide to Choosing the Best Sugar for more thoughts on that.

What are the disadvantages of simple syrup?

The only disadvantage I find to simple syrups is that they do have a pretty short lifespan in the refrigerator. The high sugar content tends to grow mold if unused for too long.

But there are three easy solutions:

1. Only make the amount you will use within 2-3 weeks.
2. Freeze your simple syrup in ice cubes, to add a few to your summertime drinks before serving.
3. Water-bath can your simple syrups and enjoy them all year long.

Do you have to boil water for simple syrup?

Typically directions for making simple syrup will tell you to boil your water so that your sugar can dissolve well.

And floral simple syrup recipes will tell you to steep your blooms in a pan of hot water on the stove, to extract the floral flavor into your water.

But if you choose to use maple syrup or honey instead of refined sugar you can add your sugar to cold water.

And if you steep your blooms in a jar of hot water until the water has totally cooled to room temperature you will have amazing floral water without any need to stand over a hot stove.

The easiest way to make simple syrup

No need to dissolve your sugar in boiling water or stand over the stove while you steep your blooms in a simmering pot. Instead, check out my new go-to plan for many future simple syrup creations.

This is simple syrup in 3 simple steps, that you can make with any floral edible flowers and all-natural sugar!

After removing your blooms from the plant or bush (leaving the green sepals and base of the flower behind), fill a mason jar with the fragrant blooms. The size of the jar is up to you (or dictated by your plethora of blooms). See below for inspiration about what blooms you could use for making simple syrup.

Bring a small pot of water to a boil on your stove. Or just dispense the hot water right into your jar, if you have an instant hot water heater. Bill got me mine about 7 years ago–he scored some mega brownie points that mother’s day–and it is still working beautifully every day since.

Then you want to let your floral blooms sit in the jar, covered with the hot water, until the water has cooled to room temperature. You’ll notice the water slowly and subtly taking on the color of the blooms. Below you can see the slightly purple tint to the lilac water and the yellow tint to the forsythia water.

After your water is cold to the touch (feel free to let it sit overnight if you’d like), strain out the flowers and toss them.

Now you’re ready to add honey or maple syrup to your pretty floral water.

You’ll want to add 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup for every 1 cup of water. And, of course, since it’s already a liquid sugar, it will mix in easily to your cold floral-infused water. No need to boil the floral water to dissolve it or to simmer your concoction for 10 minutes, which is the way I used to make a simple syrup

Well, before today that is.

You can store your syrup in the refrigerator for weeks, maybe months. If you’d like to can some to enjoy in the heart of winter, see this article for those directions.

What flowers can you use in this easy simple syrup recipe?

Feel free to experiment with any edible bloom (that hasn’t been sprayed with any chemical pesticide of course). Keep in mind that the more fragrant the flower the more you will taste its floral notes in your syrup.

My favorite is lilac.

Some other edible flowers you could try include:

• Lilac
• Lavender
• Rose
• Honeysuckle
• Forsythia
• Dandelion
• Orchid
• Pansy
• Carnation
• Hibiscus
• Chamomile
• Tulips

Does it matter what kind of honey I use?

I always use raw honey, because any other honey has been processed.

Of course, if you’re adding honey to a recipe that requires you to heat it, the heat will destroy the nutritional benefits of the raw honey, so you might as well save a little money and use a processed honey. On the other hand, one of the beauties to this simple syrup recipe is that the honey is added to cool water, so it’s perfect for raw honey. Score!

I also recommend you find local honey whenever possible, not only to support your local businesses but also to help with allergies. You see, your local, raw honey is filled with your local allergens that are native to your area.

Since we are beekeepers, our honey is as raw and as local as honey gets. Even so, there is a time and a place in my kitchen for this amazing Tupelo Honey.

When I first met my friends, Brad and Deanna, the owners of Bee Wild Raw Honey, I was immediately captivated by their family and their business. When I tasted their tupelo honey, I was a fan for life.

This honey is the best I’ve ever tasted. No joke. In fact, I never joke about all-natural sweetener. But y’all know that.

Not to mention that when I find a company I love that makes a product I can’t live without, well, I gotta share it with you all.

So if you’re in the market for the best honey I’ve ever tasted, look no further than this tupelo honey from a family-run business in Florida.

AND, for a limited time only, try this deliciousness at 15% off!! Use this link and coupon code MAPLE. (Offer excludes gallons.) 

How do I use simple syrup?

My favorite use is in my homemade kombucha. Lilac Blueberry Kombucha is my favorite flavor I make.

But it’s also wonderful in a cup of warm tea. This is a tea I love made with lilac honey, but you could make the same thing with lilac simple syrup.

And I love making ice tea or lemonade that is sweetened with a floral simple syrup. Lilac Limeade is my favorite. (And my father-in-laws.)

And for an extra special friend, a jar of simple syrup is a perfect gif. Find more ideas and gift cards for gifting simple syrup right here.

Easy Simple Syrup Recipe, in 3 steps

To make the easiest simple syrup you’ve ever made, follow these 3 simple steps:

1. Fill a jar full of blooms with hot water.* (This instant & portable hot water boiler has been a game changer in my kitchen.)
2. After completely cool (overnight is fine), strain out flowers.
3. Add 1/4 cup of tupelo honey for every 1 cup of water.

*NOTE: run your jar under very warm water for a minute before filling a glass jar with boiling water, to allow it to pre-heat and avoid any breakage.

That’s it. It couldn’t be much simpler, or taste more delicious.

Print

Floral Simple Syrup

Ingredients

• 1 cup flower blooms (see options below)
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey

Instructions

• Collect flowers and separate blooms from stems, removing green sepal leaves from under bloom as well.
• Place blooms in pint jar
• Fill jar to top with boiling water and let jar sit, open, on counter overnight or until totally cool.
• Strain out flowers.
• Add sweetener to your desired taste, typically about 1/4 cup of sweetener for every 1 cup of infused water.
• Place lid on jar and store in fridge for 2-3 weeks.

Notes

Run your jar under very warm water for a minute before filling a glass jar with boiling water, to allow it to pre-heat and avoid any breakage.

Blooms that make delicious simple syrup:

• Lilac
• Lavender1
• Rose
• Honeysuckle
• Forsythia
• Dandelion
• Hibiscus

More like this Simple Syrup Recipe:

3 Ways to Make Forsythia Syrup

Gifting Floral Simple Syrup

My Favorite Way to Use Lilac Syrup

How to add elderberry syrup to kombucha (& why!)

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. Psalm 52:8

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If I’m lucky, we’ve finally gotten all the buckets and maple-syrup-making tools cleaned and put away until next February, and our root cellar shelves are lined with golden jars of a dozen or more gallons of that amazing maple syrup we collected and boiled and bottled this year.

So this spring, while I longingly waited for our old lilac bushes to bloom so I could make lilac syrup and bottle my favorite DIY kombucha of all… Lilac Blueberry Kombucha… I made a golden flowery syrup.

And guys, I now have another syrup I’m pretty much in love with.

Below I share all three varieties of the forsythia syrups I made and bottled so you can choose your own favorite.

If you’d like to gift a jar of your simple syrup, print off these great gift cards.

Our lilacs planted here, all around our 220-year-old New England farmhouse, have quite a neat story to tell.

I wrote about our old farmhouse in these articles here.

And if you want my recipe for my favorite DIY floral carbonated soda you gotta check this out.

Is there any value to adding forsythia to my simple syrup?

I’ll admit that the forsythia flower doesn’t seem to pack the amazing punch that a more fragrant bloom, like lilac or lavender or rose, would add to a simple syrup. But it’s a nice, subtle taste and there is other value as well.

Forsythia, like so many plants, contains a lignan known as pinoresinol. These plant chemicals are important as antioxidants for our body… We eat them in food like sesame seeds and broccoli and we get lots of lignan in olive oil, which isn’t surprising, since forsythia are in the olive family of trees.

Forsythia also contains oleanolic acid, which is a natural compound that helps maintain a healthy blood pressure. They’ve been using forsythia in traditional Chinese medicine as an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent forever, so I figured it certainly can’t hurt to make some sweet delicious syrup with this pretty flower.

See my recipes below, and if you would like to know more about the medicinal properties of the forsythia, my friend Janet, over at Timber Creek Farm, has you covered in her article about the herbal health of forsythia.

How to Make Forsythia Syrup

Whichever recipe you want to try, they all start the same. Grab your clippers and a collecting basket, and collect some vibrant, new forsythia blooms. Preferably early in the morning, before the bloom is tired and spent.

Remove the blooms and pile them high in a mason jar. You can brush off any debris or bugs you encounter, or if you have more energy to invest in this than I did, you can rinse your blooms as well.

Fill your bloom-filled jar with boiling hot water. I love my instant hot water pot. I think it’s the one kitchen appliance I use the most every single day. (I list it and my other favorites right here.)

Let the floral-infused water sit many hours, until it’s cooled completely, or even overnight is fine. Then choose a recipe from below.

Maple Forsythia Syrup

1 1/2 cup forsythia-infused water (directions above)

3/4 cup maple syrup

Mix the maple syrup into your cold forsythia water and store in mason jar in refrigerator for many weeks (probably many months).

yield: 1 pint maple forsythia syrup

Lilac Forsythia Syrup

1 1/2 cup forsythia-infused water (See “How to Make Forsythia Syrup” above)

3/4 cup lilac sugar (directions for making lilac sugar here)

3-4 blueberries (optional)

Bring forsythia water to a boil. Add blueberries for color, if you would like.

As soon as the water is boiling, Immediately remove your pan from the heat and stir in lilac sugar until it dissolves.

Store your lilac forsythia syrup in a mason jar in the refrigerator for many weeks (probably many months).

yield: 1 pint lilac forsythia syrup

Forsythia Simple Syrup

1 1/2 cup forsythia-infused water (See “How to Make Forsythia Syrup” above)

3/4 cup sugar (you can use any white sugar, but I like this sugar. I pick it up at my local Aldis.)

3-4 blueberries (optional)

Bring forsythia water to a boil. Add blueberries for color, if you would like.

As soon as the water is boiling, Immediately remove your pan from the heat and stir in lilac sugar until it dissolves.

Strain out the dried lilac flowers and blueberries and store your lilac forsythia syrup in a mason jar in the refrigerator for many weeks (probably many months).

yield: 1 pint forsythia simple syrup

My favorite ways to use these syrups?

Honestly, my favorite way to use my simple syrups is pretty basic. I use it to sweeten beverages. While it seems oh-so-simple, it’s amazing what these simple syrups can do to an average old cup of tea, or seltzer water, or lemonade, or–my absolute favorite–DIY kombucha.

Think a tall cold glass of lilac lemonade on a hot August day or a big mug of warm lilac forsythia white tea on a cold snowy February morning.

Go here for my favorite kombucha recipes, some of which include these amazing syrups.

Other articles about all-natural sugar:

Making Lilac Simple Syrup

Making Lilac Sugar

Making a delicious salad dressing with raw honey

Making maple syrup–step by step.

“Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands.” I Thes. 4:11

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The post How to Make Forsythia Syrup first appeared on Souly Rested.

This week, I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of a few thrilling things here on the homestead, and while I wait I figured it was very fitting to share this perfect gift idea with you, including the gift cards to help make it extra easy for you. (Keep reading.)

The Exciting New Arrivals!

“What are you having delivered this week Michelle?” you may ask… at least I hope you do, cause I wanna tell everyone about my excitement!

The first arrivals are coming by the thousands…. winged, nectar-eating, pollen-carrying wonders… 

Yes, this still-learning-how-to-do-it-right sugarmaker is now taking on beekeeping too. And I can’t wait! Our three hives are coming this weekend. And boy I sure hope I don’t mess this one up!

And The Lilacs Too!

The other arrivals are for the bees, well, kinda. I have three beautiful new lilac bushes on their way from NatureHills.com. This spring when my lilacs all peaked and then quickly dropped their flowers in less than 2 weeks time, my lilac blooms were gone long before I had made all the lilac syrup, and lilac sugar, and lilac honey that I had wanted to make. So I reached out to the folks at NatureHills to ask if there were lilacs that bloomed longer or later in the season that would also survive a tough New England winter.

Well boy was I surprised! Not only did an expert get right back to me the same day, but boy did I love her answer! I’ll share more of those details with you in an upcoming post, once my exciting new lilac bushes are here.

Btw, yes, after realizing just how fantastic this online nursery is, I signed up as an affiliate, meaning if you do decide to order from them, then they”ll send me a few pennies to say “thank you.” (And it will never cost you one penny more.)

But don’t get me wrong, my earnings probably won’t even pay for my grapefruit I had for breakfast this morning, so I would never mention them to you if I didn’t love their customer service and their gorgeous plants. And every tiny way you support our homestead means so much to us. Seriously. (But isn’t it crazy how expensive a grapefruit it these days? But I digress…)

Wanna know more about floral infusion?

If you wanna try your hand at Lilac Simple Syrup, you’ll find all those details here.

Learn how to make irresistible lilac sugar here.

For directions to infuse some Lilac Honey, go here.

And read directions for making Blueberry Lilac Kombucha right here.

Give the Gift of Lilac Simple Syrup

If you have any fragrant, edible blooms in your yard (nope, they don’t have to be lilacs), you can easily make some simple syrup for gift giving. Watch the instructional how-to video here.

After making the syrup, I just tied a bloom to the syrup jar with a piece of twine that I also looped through the gift card. You can download and print a handy page of the gift cards I created. I downloaded it to my Resource Library, so it’ll be there anytime you have the urge to put together some drop-dead gorgeous, delicious gifts. (Not subscribed? That’s easy peasy. Just go here.)

The day I was making my lilac simple syrup happened to be my neighbor’s birthday, so I designed a little card with some recipes that call for lilac syrup. Then I realized you all may like to do the same, so I designed a page of cards. I simply printed the page on card stock paper, cut one card out, folded it in half, and wrote a birthday greeting to Paige on the front of the card. Then I just punched a little hole and threaded it on the twine.

She was out on the lake when I dropped over with her little gift, so I left it on her table on her back deck. Hopefully she liked the little surprise and it added a little sweet deliciousness to her day.

Other Simple Syrup Information

You can make simple syrups and infused sugars with numerous fragrant flowers. Go here to find 3 different recipes for Forsythia Syrup (it’s really yummy).

And experiment with other sugars when making your syrup. In fact, if you use a liquid sugar the process is much easier, as I explain here.

I love to use this tupelo honey to make simple syrups. Bonus, tupelo honey NEVER crystalizes. Isn’t that awesome? I despise hardened honey that I can’t get out of the bottom of the jar.

If I didn’t make my own maple syrup I’d use this syrup or this one.

And if I’m using “regular” sugar I avoid refined sugar all together and go for this option.

If you have any questions about plants and shrubs that will grow well in your neck of the woods, reach out to NatureHills.com.

If you want a sneak peak at the lilacs that are on their way to me, you can see them here.

Or check out all the amazing lilacs that they grow at NatureHills.

Around the Farm this Week

Selah celebrated her first birthday this week! I shared her birthday festivities over on Instagram, if you wanna catch that excitement. (And read about our calf’s birth–and my major mistake–here.)

The barn is a lot less crowded this week, and it’s a little lonely lately, now that we’ve rehomed most of the kitties. But we have kept one gorgeous, sweet girl. Watch this facebook live video  if you’d like to meet this sweet ball of smoky gray fur and get the whole scoop on why we had to rehome her momma, Reepicheep.

And join in on our facebook talk this week all about her–right here–and help us pick the perfect moniker for this cuteness!

How do you like to use your simple syrup?

Do you have a special way you love to use your floral simple syrup? Please share; maybe I can add it to my gift card page!

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Glance at my Resource Page if you’d like to get a glimpse of all the supplies I use and recommend for everything from gardening, to homeschooling, to chicken care, to nature journaling, to maple syrup making.

And hop over here to find out why SoulyRested was considered to be one of the Top 20 Must-Read Homesteading Blogs of 2018.

I’d love to connect!

To find me in some other neck of the woods, just click any (or every!) icon below:

And please follow along!

Please take a second to follow along here on SoulyRested to catch up on a few of my memorable mishaps, discover fascinating things about my centuries-old farmhouse, glean a little parenting/homeschooling insight from this momma who’s been failing at the effort for almost 2 decades, or enjoy the inside scoop on the secrets other legit homesteaders might not tell you.

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The post Making (and gifting) floral simple syrup first appeared on Souly Rested.