Basil syrup: recipes - how to make red and green basil syrup quickly and easily

Which basil to use for syrup

There is a classification of basil, distinguishing it by color into green and purple. Both types are very popular. Purple basil contains a higher amount of essential oils, which gives it a brighter taste and stronger smell.

Depending on the main aromatic note, basil is distinguished with clove, pepper, caramel, lemon, anise, menthol and even vanilla aroma. There are also varieties that combine a mixture of, for example, clove and pepper aroma.

Syrup can be made from any type and variety of basil. It all depends on what taste preferences are close to you. The main rule is that the grass should be fresh, without dry leaves.Breaking this taboo will give your syrup a slight hay flavor.

How to prepare basil

Basil purchased or cut from your own garden is thoroughly rinsed under running water. To help the branches get rid of excess moisture, blot it with paper towels or allow time to dry naturally in the shade in a draft. However, you should not delay cooking, as the tender greens begin to quickly wither.

Clean branches are sorted out, separating the shedding from them. It is the leaf part that will be used to prepare the syrup. The remaining stems are dried in an electric dryer or in the air in the shade, then crushed and used as a dry seasoning.

Syrup recipes

Green basil syrup – a fragrant fairy tale

• basil leaves – 200 grams (without branches);
• granulated sugar - 1.1 kilograms;
• large lemon - 1 piece;
• water – 0.5 liters.

The lemon is thoroughly washed with a brush and the juice is squeezed out of it. The peel is crushed into strips or wheels 0.5 - 1 centimeter thick. Prepare sugar-lemon syrup in a saucepan or small saucepan.

After the liquid has boiled for 5 minutes, add green basil leaves. The mass is kept on the fire for another 25 minutes under the lid, and then allowed to cool naturally.

The sweet infusion is filtered through a fine strainer and put back on the fire. Before packaging into sterile jars, the syrup is boiled again for 3-4 minutes.

Red Basil Syrup with Citric Acid

• red basil leaves – 150 grams;
• water – 2 liters;
• granulated sugar – 1500 grams;
• citric acid – 2 tablespoons.

Clean leaves are cut into small pieces, placed in a bowl, covered with citric acid and kneaded thoroughly with a fork.As soon as the basil produces juice, add 1 cup of white sugar and stir again with a wooden spoon. The container with the food is tightly closed with a lid and sent to the refrigerator for a day.

Syrup is made from leftover sugar and water. Add the flavored mass from the bowl to it, mix and boil for 20 minutes. After this, the fire is turned off, and the contents of the pan are allowed to cool for 4 to 5 hours.

The finished syrup is filtered through several layers of gauze. The transparent liquid with a reddish tint is put back on the fire and heated for 40 minutes.

Basil drink syrup

• basil leaves – 150 grams;
• water – 1.5 liters;
• lemon – 1 piece (large);
• granulated sugar – 1 kilogram.

Fresh basil makes a wonderful, refreshing drink. To prepare it, the leaves are crushed by hand or with a knife, poured with the juice of one lemon and sprinkled with 3 tablespoons of sugar. The mass is thoroughly ground until juice is formed and water is added.

After this, the drink is boiled over medium heat for 4 - 5 minutes and cooled. At the final stage, the liquid is passed through a fine grid with gauze. Serve the drink chilled with a slice of lemon.

To prepare the syrup, add the remaining granulated sugar to ½ liter of the resulting drink. The mass is boiled for 25 - 30 minutes.

The Anush The Blogger channel will tell you in more detail about preparing a drink from basil

How to store basil syrup

The syrup can be preserved for the winter by pouring it hot into perfectly clean, disinfected jars and sealing tightly with lids. In this form, the workpiece can be stored for a year in a cool, dark place.

Another option for storing syrup is freezing.Basil ice cubes make a wonderful, flavorful addition to a variety of ice cream cocktails and desserts.