This Blueberry Simple Syrup recipe is a lightly sweetened syrup you can add to your favorite summertime drink or cocktail to add some extra flavor. You can use this simple syrup in iced tea, on top of pancakes or ice cream, or in an afternoon aperitif.
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Blueberry Simple Syrup Inspiration
We live in the heart of America’s blueberry country and have about 25 blueberry bushes on our property. As they mature between June and August we have had to create some unique recipes to use them all. And this recipe was one of our favorites.
What are simple syrups?
Simple syrups are a mixture of sugar dissolved in water, used to give sweetness to a drink. Sugar does not dissolve well alone when you add it to alcohol (or other liquids for that matter). So by heating up a combination of water and sugar, the sugar gets dissolved in the water.
The result is a clean liquid that will sweeten your drink without any gritty sugar residue settling to the bottom of your glass. I’ve been jazzing up plain simple syrups with whatever berry or fruit I have in excess.
Most recipes will call for equal parts water and sugar, and there’s probably a reason for that. But since I was adding fruit to my simple syrups I didn’t want the result to be overly sweet. They still come out the perfect consistency, just not super sweet. If you prefer your drinks on the sweeter side, then go ahead and add equal parts sugar, water, and fruit. It’s about your preferences.
And since simple syrups are so ridiculously simple to make (really, you can’t screw it up), this is really the simplest way to add some great flavor to an already simple syrup.
Blueberry Simple Syrup Ingredients
- Sugar – Sugar adds sweetness to the simple syrup. Other sweeteners can be substituted but may result in a slightly different flavor.
- Water – Water allows the sugar to dissolve. The resulting syrup liquid is easier to mix into a cold drink. If you just added sugar you would wind up with a gritty texture – yuck!
- Berries – You can use any type of berry to make a flavored simple syrup, but we’re using blueberries in this recipe. Fresh and frozen berries will both work. You may need to adjust the amount of sugar added depending on how sweet or sour your berries are.
How to Make a Simple Syrup
Making a blueberry flavored simple syrup really is simple!
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- All you do is combine the three ingredients in a saucepan and let it simmer until thickened.
- Once it is cool, you can strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any fruit skins or seeds. Be sure you press out the skins and what was strained to extract all the flavor you can.
- Use or store in a mason jar or similar container in the refrigerator.
Storage
Blueberry simple syrup will store in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to four weeks. Use it as you would like to in your favorite recipes. We recommend investing in a small mason jar with a tight lid for any simple syrup recipes.
Variations
Your imagination is the only limit to what you can do with your liquid sweetener. You can add your fresh berry syrup to a number of drinks and desserts.
- Cocktails – Simply stir in to add a fruity twist like our Blueberry Lemonade Cocktail
- Cold Drinks – Add to flavor your iced tea or lemonade
- Sorbet – Mix it in to sweeten your base
- Ice cream – Drizzle over the top to make a sundae
- Pancakes – Use in place of maple syrup
- Fruit salad – Add sweetness to fresh fruit
Related Recipes
- Rhubarb Simple Syrup
- Bourbon Cocktail with Grilled Lemon Simple Syrup
- Blackberry Aperol Spritz
- Lemon Rhubarb Fizz Cocktail
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Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.
Blueberry Simple Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup blueberries
- ½ cup sugar
Instructions
- Combine: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Simmer: Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until the berries burst and the mixture thickens slightly, and you reach your desired consistency.
- Cool: Remove, and allow the liquid to cool to room temperature.
- Strain: Strain into a glass jar through a very fine mesh strainer while gently pressing the fruit to extract as much of that delicious juice as possible. Discard the solids.
- Store: Store in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
