While in NYC, Tom and I tried Starbucks’ Gingerbread latte and Peppermint Mocha. Our coffee shop in Sweden, Espresso House, have their equivalent – a Tomtelatte (Santa latte), which is every bit as tasty (if not better than Starbucks). Seeing hot ginger spiced lattes everywhere got me curious to try my hand at making my own. In order to do so, the first step is to make home made gingerbread latte syrup.
I promise you that making your own latte syrup is so much easier and quicker than you think. If you’ve been using store bought syrups for your occasional home made latte, then stop. Home brewed syrup will spare you the additives and chemicals found in those nasty store bought syrups. (And home made is cheaper too).
All you need is sugar, water and spices. I used a mix of white, light muscovado, and dark brown sugar.
Heat it up until the sugar dissolves completely. Once the sugar is dissolved and small bubbles start to form on the surface, pull the pot off the heat and let the mixture steep for 1-2 hours before sifting into an airtight bottle.
As with most home made things, a bottle of home brewed gingerbread latte syrup will make a lovely gift with a bit of ribbon and a nice tag.
Recipe
Yields: about 1 cup (2.4 dl)
Time: 15 minutes
- 1 cup / 2.4 dl water
- 1/4 cup / 0.6 dl plain white sugar
- 1/4 cup / 0.6 dl dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup / 1.2 dl light muscovado sugar
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- 1 small handful whole cloves (about 15 pieces)
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamon
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Here’s what you do:
- Combine the sugar, spices and water in a small saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat until the sugars have dissolved completely.
- Turn up the heat slightly (if necessary) and wait for small bubbles to start to form on the surface of your syrup. Then pull off the heat.
- Allow mixture to steep for 1-2 hours.
- Strain through a fine strainer or cheesecloth into an airtight bottle and store in the fridge until you’re going to use it.
Enjoy in your latte of choice, or give a bottle of it to a friend for Christmas!
