If you like lilac smell, you may appreciate this delicate syrup. It takes some time to remove the stems but then the rest of the recipe is very simple and quick.
You can enjoy this syrup with still or sparkling water, in mocktails or cocktails… Or you could also use it in desserts like cakes, panna cotta, crème brûlée… and so on.
Lilac syrup
Ingredients
- 50 cl water
- 50 g lilac flowers, stems removed
- 500 g sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ vanilla bean optional – you can also add 2 drops of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pick the lilac at the beginning of flowering (when the flowers start to open and concentrate the fragrance). Avoid using lilac that has been in bloom for a long time as the flowers will not taste as good.
- Gently shake the bunches, then remove the stems, taking care to keep as little stem as possible (this gives a bitter taste).
- Place the flowers on a large tea towel and leave them for a few minutes until the remaining insects have gone…
- Then place the flowers in a big bowl.
- Boil the water and pour it over the flowers with the lemon juice. Cover with a cloth and leave to soak for 15 minutes.
- Using a cheesecloth (or a fine sieve) placed over a saucepan, filter the preparation. Press the flowers with the back of a spoon to squeeze out the juice. This will give the syrup more colour and flavour.
- Add the sugar to the pan and bring to boil and let it boil on a low heat for 15 minutes.
- While the syrup is boiling, sterilise a glass bottle in a large pot of boiling water for 10 minutes and then place it upside down on a clean cloth.
- When the syrup is ready, pour it immediately into the sterilised bottle and close.
- Store in the refrigerator. The syrup can be kept for several weeks.
Notes
Depending on the amount of lemon you use, the syrup will have a more or less pronounced lemon taste. The same applies to vanilla. Perhaps test a version without vanilla with little lemon juice first. Then adjust the quantities to suit your preferences. I really like the version with a little touch of vanilla which does not cover the delicate scent of the lilac and goes very well with it.
For the sugar, I prefer to use white sugar which has a neutral taste, but you can of course test the recipe with other types of sugar.