Valentine’s Season is upon us and I wanted to incorporate roses into this year’s celebration. Not only are roses a traditional symbol of softness, love, and affection, but they also put me in the mindset of spring. So I set out to create a rose cordial that was soft, intentionally floral on the nose, but not overly sweet. This floral simple syrup adds the perfect rose notes to sodas, cocktails, or grazing boards.
Rose Syrup
A delightfully rich and floral simple syrup perfect for Valentine's Day celebrations or for a taste of spring whenever you're in the mood
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup culinary grade dried roses
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 pinch citric acid (fresh lemon or lime juice can also be used)
Instructions
- Combine water and 1/2 cup of dried roses to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and let go for 5-7 minutes, do not allow to boil
- At this point, I like to strain the roses and add the remaining 1/4 cup of dried rose. Due to the heat uses, the rose infusion will be quite tannic at this point. By adding in fresh roses here, it adds a softened rose touch to the overall flavor profile.
- Let infusion steep for 20-20 minutes, letting aroma and depth settle in.
- Strain, add sugar, and a small pinch of citric acid (no more than 1/8 teaspoon). The point of the acid is to lift the overall flavor layers of the rose syrup, not to add any prominent citrus notes.
- Once the mixture is sweetened to your liking, allow to cool and then bottle. Keep in fridge. It should be good for up the 3 weeks, the the citric acid helping to act as a preservative.
Notes
While tasting your syrup during the infusion process, keep in mind it will be very tannic before the sugar and citric acid is added. This is normal with rose.
Don't overdo the sugar and citric acid. The flavor will fully settle once the rose syrup has fully cooled and set for a few hours.
Avoid hard simmering during the infusion process--this pulls out the tannins and can dull the floral notes.
This is a very concentrated syrup, so a little can go a long way.
