Mint syrup: a delicious DIY dessert - how to make mint syrup at home

Selection of mint and its preparation

There is quite a wide variety of mint varieties: garden, curly, field and, of course, peppermint. You can use any variety to make syrup, but preference should still be given to the peppery variety. This variety has the most pronounced aroma and a burning, refreshing taste.

Before starting cooking, the collected mint is washed in cold water and dried on cotton or paper towels. If necessary, if the workpiece will be made only from leaf mass, leaves are torn off from dried branches.

Three Basic Methods for Making Fresh Mint Syrup

Method No. 1 - recipe from Marmalade Fox

• mint leaves - 100 grams;
• granulated sugar – 500 grams;
• clean water - 1 glass.

The syrup made this way turns out to be a rich green color.

Clean and thoroughly dried mint leaves are crushed into small pieces and placed in a bowl of a suitable size. The green mass is sprinkled with 250 grams of granulated sugar, mixed, covered with a lid and left on the table for 12 - 20 hours. Sugar, having hydrophilic properties, absorbs all the essential substances and juice from mint slices.

When the mixture is thoroughly infused, they begin to prepare the syrup. To do this, the remaining sugar is mixed with water and boiled until thickened for 20 minutes. After this, add candied mint to a bowl of boiling liquid and turn off the heat. Using a wooden spatula, carefully mix the mass until the crystals are completely dissolved. After this, close the saucepan with a lid. The mass should cool naturally. This will take approximately 3 – 4 hours.

Blend the cooled mint puree with a blender until smooth. Place the sieve on a clean bowl, cover it with 3-4 layers of gauze and begin the procedure of straining the aromatic mass.

If the use of mint syrup is intended for the next couple of months, then the sweet liquid is immediately placed in jars. If the finished syrup is planned for long-term storage, then it needs to be put on fire again, boiled for a couple of minutes and poured into sterile bottles.

Marmalade Fox will tell you all the details of this recipe in her video.

Method number 2 - with citric acid

• mint sprigs - 150 grams;
• granulated sugar – 500 grams;
• clean water - 250 milliliters;
• citric acid ½ teaspoon.

Mint syrup prepared according to this recipe turns out to be light green in color, more like honey, but all the taste and beneficial properties are retained in full.

In this recipe, the leaves are not cut off, but whole branches are used.They are cut at a distance of 15 - 25 centimeters from the top, washed, and dried on a cloth.

The prepared raw material is cut into several parts, placed in a small saucepan, and filled with cool water. Boil the contents of the bowl for 10 minutes under a tightly closed lid. Then the fire is turned off, and the mint infusion is allowed to stand for 10 to 24 hours. The mint should then be removed. To do this, squeeze it thoroughly with your hands. To make the broth transparent, filter it through a very fine plastic sieve lined with gauze.

Add sugar to the clear broth and cook for 15 minutes. A minute before turning off the heat, add acid to the syrup. While hot, the syrup is poured into small jars and screwed on with lids.

Irina Khlebnikova on her channel clearly demonstrated the production of mint syrup

Method No. 3 - Dried mint syrup

• dried mint raw materials - 50 grams;
• sugar – 500 grams;
• water – 250 milliliters.

Dried mint can be purchased at any pharmacy or you can use your own preparations. The raw materials are first kneaded by hand and then poured with boiling water. Cover the bowl tightly with a lid and wrap it in terry towels. In this form, the infusion should cool completely. Strain the mixture through a triple layer of gauze. The aromatic preparation is supplemented with sugar and placed on fire. Boiling time 10 - 15 minutes.

The thickened mass is bottled and sent to the cold.

Shelf life of syrup

Dessert sealed in sterile jars can be stored for up to a year. Syrup that was packaged without following strict preservation rules can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.