DIY Simple Syrups for Non-Alcoholic Summer Drinks

I was introduced to flavored syrups when I worked as a barista. There were so many flavors to choose from and it was fun to see what drinks I could create for customers. Years later, I bought the syrups for parties and my kids acted as “bartenders” making Italian Sodas for all the guests.

We still keep syrups on hand to flavor our coffees and teas, but until now I have never tried to make my own. My overflowing garden caused me to look into recipes and see what I could produce. After I did a bit of research, it turns out that making simple syrups is ridiculously easy and you can blend in pretty much anything.

These are some basic helpful hints when you’re making simple syrups.

The standard recipe is equal parts granulated or cane sugar, good quality water, and the fruit or herbs you are using. That’s it! One cup of each is the usual, but feel free to halve it or double it.
You do NOT need to bring your mixture to a boil. Heating on low or medium heat is the best way to melt the sugar without burning it or accidentally turning it into candy!
To strain the syrups, use a fine mesh strainer, not one with large holes.
Mix flavors to make your own unique syrups. How about lemon/lime, blueberry/rosemary, or chamomile/lemon?
Simple syrups can be used to flavor mocktails, in teas, to brush onto cake layers, to freeze in ice cube trays, and really anything else you can think of.
Canning jars are a great way to store your syrups. They can withstand heat or freezing temperatures.
Simple syrups should be stored in the fridge or frozen for longer use.

Here are the recipes I used.

Lime Simple Syrup

Photo: Ann Kirsten

I used the standard syrup measurements of 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar and the juice and zest of 2 small limes (or 1 very large one).
While the sugar and water mixture is cooking, juice and zest your limes.
Once the sugar has dissolved and the water is clear, pour in the lime juice and zest.
Remove from the heat and let the mixture steep for 30 minutes.
Strain into a canning jar.
Citrus peel can turn bitter if left too long in liquid and that is why the juice and peel are added later in this recipe.

Lemon Syrup

Photo: Ann Kirsten

Lemon syrup is made the same way as lime syrup. Lemons are usually bigger so you will only need one. Otherwise, follow the recipe above.

Raspberry Syrup

Photo: Ann Kirsten

The classic 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 1 cup fresh raspberries is perfect for this syrup.
Put all the ingredients together in a small saucepan.
Once the sugar dissolves, turn the pan down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir and mash the berries occasionally.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture sit for another 30 minutes.
Strain the syrup and store it in a jar in the fridge.
This syrup was one of my grandkids’ favorites. They loved the color and the flavor.

Mint Syrup

Photo: Ann Kirsten

We used the standard 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of fresh mint leaves.
We chopped the mint lightly to release more flavor.
Everything went into the pot over medium heat.
Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
Allow the syrup to cool for 30 minutes to an hour.
Strain the syrup into a jar.

Blueberry Syrup

Photo: Ann Kirsten

This uses the classic recipe of 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of blueberries.
Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and heat until the sugar is melted.
Continue to heat for another 10 minutes.
Mash the berries while the mixture heats.
Remove from the heat and let it steep for at least 30 minutes.
Strain the syrup into jars.

Rosemary Syrup

Photo: Ann Kirsten

1 cup of water and sugar, and 5 sprigs of rosemary go into your saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Keep cooking for 5 more minutes.
Put a lid on the pan and turn off the heat.
Allow the syrup to steep for at least 15 minutes.
Remove the sprigs of rosemary and strain the syrup into a jar.
This is my daughter’s favorite syrup. She loves rosemary.

Chamomile Syrup

Photo: Ann Kirsten

Place 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, and 2-3 chamomile tea bags OR 2 Tablespoons of dried chamomile flowers into a saucepan.
Heat over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove from the heat and let the syrup cool.
Take out the teabags or strain the flowers out and decant into a jar. If you have tiny pieces, a coffee filter will help.
Why not try other flavors of tea as well?

Lavender Syrup

Photo: Ann Kirsten

This syrup calls for 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, and either 2 Tablespoons of dried culinary lavender OR 4 Tablespoons of fresh lavender, plus 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves.
Add in the dried or fresh lavender and turn the heat to low. Let it heat gently for about 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup steep for another 15 minutes.
Add in the vanilla extract.
Strain into jars and use for lattes or whatever else you can think of.

Photo: Ann Kirsten

Once you have a collection of syrups, let the kids experiment with making their own drinks. They’ll have fun mixing flavors and creating mocktails. We used sparkling water, iced teas, lemonades and juices as the base and then added small amounts of simple syrups. If you have extra berries and herbs, let the kids make their own stir-sticks by adding berries to skewers or by cutting branches of herbs.

Photo: Ann Kirsten

This was such a fun project for all of us. It felt like a science project, got us outside, let us cook, and we had delicious refreshments when we were done!