(Lavender Syrup)

Welcome back 16oz family and happy Easter if you celebrate! This week we’ve got an extra sweet read for you. Over the past month we’ve picked up experimenting with making some of our favorite cafe syrups at home to add to our morning lattes and boy, does it change the game. In the end, we fell in love with 5 syrup variations: Vanilla, Lavender, Maple Cardamom, Brown Sugar, and Blueberry Lemon. We’ve been adding these to tonics, lattes, teas, and any other beverage that seems to cross our mind. Now before you start drooling too much, let’s dive into these recipes.

First, we need to start with the base syrup. This will be the same for all the variations excluding the brown sugar syrup. All you’ll need is the following:

1 C sugar
1 C water

Combine these two ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

After reaching this step, you can pick your syrup flavor!

Vanilla Syrup

(Vanilla latte)

Ingredients:

Base syrup
2 Tbsp pure vanilla or 1 vanilla pod
Mason jar (for storage)

Once your base syrup is boiling, add the vanilla and lower to a simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Pour into your mason jar and let cool, then stick it in your fridge for easy every morning access! This is a perfect syrup for just adding a hint of sweetness and subtle flavor to any drink.

Lavender Syrup

(Fresh lavender)

Ingredients:

Base syrup
1 Tbsp dried culinary lavender (We love this brand)
Mason jar (for storage)

After your base syrup is boiling, add the lavender blossoms and lower to a simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened or to your personal taste. For a stronger flavor, boil longer or let the lavender steep in the syrup for 10 extra minutes without heat. Once finished, pour your syrup through a fine strainer and into your mason jar. Let cool, then seal and stick in your fridge. We have even been adding this to our chai lattes or black teas as well as coffee.

Maple Cardamom Syrup

(Maple syrup)

Ingredients:

Base Syrup
¼ C maple syrup
1 tsp cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
Mason jar (for storage)

With your base syrup is boiling, add the rest of your ingredients into the pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened and to your personal taste, the longer cooked, the stronger your flavors will be. Once finished, pour your syrup through a fine strainer and into your mason jar (Optional addition: leave your cinnamon stick in your jar for an added flavor boost). Let cool, then store in the fridge until ready to use! We loved this syrup in lattes, matcha, and even just with some sparkling water for a fun twist.

Brown Sugar Syrup

(Brown sugar latte)

Remember, this one uses a different base syrup! For this variation, you’ll need:

1 C brown sugar
1 C water
1 tsp vanilla
Mason jar (for storage)

Add all your ingredients to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and let cook for 15-20 minutes. Once your syrup has thickened pour into your mason jar and store in the fridge. This syrup is so perfect in tea or lattes for a rich, dark boost of flavor.

Blueberry Lemon Syrup

(Juicing fresh lemons)

Ingredients:

Base syrup
1 C frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Mason jar (for storage)

Begin by microwaving your frozen blueberries until thawed. Fresh blueberries will work but we recommend crushing them first to make them softer and release some of the juice. Now, with your base syrup boiling, add your blueberries to the syrup along with the lemon juice. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes until the syrup has thickened. Next, strain your syrup and store in a mason jar in the fridge. This syrup is super fresh and springy and its safe to say we have been obsessed. Its perfect added to espresso tonics, green tea, or even just with carbonated water for a fresh, fancy looking bev.

There you have it folks, 5 amazingly delicious simple syrup recipes that you can make in under an hour to have your morning coffee tasting like it’s straight from a local cafe. However, sometimes you can beat the real, professionally made thing. For some awesome shops to visit check out one of our most recent posts, 9 Women Owned Cafes in the Twin Cities. Hopefully this post starts your week off with a flavorful bang and we certainly can’t wait to hear what you think of these 5 fantastic recipes. We appreciate you for being here and supporting us at 16oz and as always, don’t forget to tip your barista.