Mint Simple Syrup
Made with fresh mint, sugar, and water, this three ingredient Mint Simple Syrup makes the perfect additional to your favorite cocktails, tea, and desserts!
When it comes to simple syrup, it may just be one of the simplest ways to add flavor to teas, cocktails, ice cream, pancakes, waffles, or even to give away as gifts. We love to use simple syrup in cocktails, and this mint simple syrup is one of our favorites. Use it in Mojitos, a Frozen Daiquiri, or a Bourbon Smash.
How To Make Mint Simple Syrup
- Prepare the mint leaves: Wash your mint leaves under cold water to remove any excess dirt and impurities. Remove the leaves from the stems and pack them tightly into a 1 cup measuring cup.
- Cook the syrup: Add the mint leaves, water, and sugar to a small saucepan. Heat over low-medium heat until all the sugar is dissolved while stirring frequently. Cook for about 5 minutes. The mint leaves will wilt, and the sugar will dissolve.
- Cool and store: Remove from heat, and allow the mint simple syrup cool in the saucepan for 1 hour or until the syrup reaches room temperature. Strain the leaves from the syrup in a mesh strainer and pour the simple syrup into a jar or container. Store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use.
Mint Simple Syrup Tips
- Make sure you take the time to tightly pack the mint leaves. This will ensure that your fresh mint leaves extract as much flavor as possible.
- Boil over low-medium heat to ensure that the leaves don’t get too hot. Otherwise, they will extract a more bitter flavor if cooked too hot.
- As the mint leaves wilt, they will start to brown which may give the syrup a darker color. This is completely natural. The longer the simple syrup steeps, the stronger the mint flavor and deeper the color.
Variations
You can adapt this mint simple syrup recipe to your own liking. Here are a few variations:
- Add lime or lemon juice after the mint simple syrup cooks for a citrus mint flavor.
- About a minute before the simple syrup finishes cooking, add fresh basil for a basil mint syrup.
- Add fresh ginger root for a spicy mint flavor.
- Swap out the granulated sugar for coconut sugar or cane sugar. The color of the simple syrup will change slightly to a light amber-green color.
- Use other garden-fresh herbs such as rosemary or lavender to add fresh herb flavor.
Storing and Freezing
Storing: Store mint simple syrup by keeping it in a tightly sealed container and refrigerating for about a week.
Freezing: If you want to store mint simple syrup for a longer period of time, freeze it in ice cube trays. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a labeled ziplock bag and keep them in the freezer.
More Simple Syrup Recipes for Your Next Drink:
Ingredients
- 1 cup mint leaves, tightly packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar, or cane sugar
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Place mint leaves, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan. Cook over low-medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mint leaves have wilted, about 5 minutes.1 cup mint leaves1 cup granulated sugar1 cup water
- Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for an hour before pouring through a mesh strainer to remove the mint leaves.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- See post for storage options.
