Strawberry Syrup with Rose Water
Two pounds of ripe berries macerated in sugar, simmered for ten minutes and strained, with the rose water stirred in off the heat so the aroma survives. Makes about three cups, which is roughly twelve tall fizzes topped with soda water.
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Syrup
- 2 pounds strawberries hulled and quartered, about 6 cups
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar plain white
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest finely grated, from 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup water 1/2 cup if the berries are frozen
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice stirred in off the heat
- 1 tablespoon rose water start with 2 teaspoons and taste
To Serve as a Fizz
- 1 glassful ice cubes per drink
- 1/4 cup strawberry syrup cold, per drink
- 8 ounces soda water cold, or prosecco for the alcoholic version
- 1 whole strawberry split halfway, for the rim
Equipment
- Medium Pot
- Blender
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Large Bowl
Instructions
Macerate and Simmer
- Hull and quarter the strawberries, toss them in a bowl with the sugar and the lemon zest, and leave them for 30 minutes. They will slump and sit in a pool of their own red juice, which is the sugar doing the work a hot pan would otherwise have to do.
- Tip the fruit and every drop of the juice into a heavy saucepan with the water and the salt. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then hold it at a lazy simmer for 10 minutes. The fruit goes pale and collapses when it has given up what it has.
Blend, Strain and Finish
- Blend the whole panful until smooth, working in batches if your blender is small. Hot liquid expands, so fill the jar no more than half full and hold the lid down with a folded towel.
- Pour the puree in batches into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and stir it with a rubber spatula so the liquid keeps moving through. Do not press the pulp; that gives a cloudy syrup that separates in the glass. Set the pulp aside as a loose jam.
- Stir the lemon juice and the rose water into the warm strained syrup, off the heat. Chill for at least 2 hours in a wide bowl, then bottle. It should pour off a spoon in a thin stream.
Build the Fizz
- Fill a tall glass or a pint jar with ice, pour in 1/4 cup of the cold syrup, top with soda water and stir once from the bottom so the color comes up through the glass. Hang a split berry on the rim. For the alcoholic version, put a tablespoon of syrup in a flute and fill it slowly with prosecco, because carbonation poured onto sugar syrup foams straight over the top.
Notes
Yield is about 3 cups. A serving is 2 tablespoons; a tall fizz uses 1/4 cup.
Rose water strength varies wildly between brands. Start with 2 teaspoons, taste the cold syrup, then work up to the full tablespoon. Too much tastes of soap and cannot be undone.
Do not force the pulp through the sieve. Stir and tap and let gravity work for five minutes. Pressed pulp gives a cloudy syrup that separates in the glass. Keep the pulp as a loose jam for toast or yogurt.
Make-ahead and storage: the syrup keeps 2 weeks refrigerated in a sealed bottle and 6 months frozen. Chill it in a wide bowl rather than the jar so it comes down quickly, then bottle it once cold.
Frozen berries work. Skip the maceration, since they release juice as they thaw in the pan, and cut the added water to 1/2 cup.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg