Many people like the refreshing taste of peppermint in tea or other drinks. But not everyone has mint growing at hand, and it takes a lot of time to prepare an infusion of it. It is much more convenient to have a jar of concentrated mint syrup in the refrigerator. You can buy it at the nearest supermarket, but it is better to cook it yourself.
Benefits and calories of mint syrup
For the manufacture of peppermint syrups, peppermint is most often used , containing essential oil with a predominance of menthol. Unlike industrial designs, syrup, prepared independently, has a more natural aroma and natural composition.
It is difficult to overestimate the beneficial properties of syrup for the body:
- digestion improvement;
- increased appetite;
- getting rid of nausea and easing stomach cramps;
- calming effect on the nervous system;
- quick recovery from colds and flu.
The calorie content of mint syrup is 282 kcal. It does not contain proteins and fats, but only carbohydrates (70 g per 100 g of product).
The therapeutic value of peppermint is quite high, which makes it possible to use this plant in the fight against various ailments, not only in fresh form, but also in dried and in the form of syrup.
Cooking Application
The main use of peppermint syrup is the preparation of hot and cold alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. It is added as a natural flavoring to tea, coffee, various cocktails and drinks. The refreshing taste of menthol allows you to quench your thirst and invigorates.
Mint syrup can be soaked in biscuit cakes when making cakes, add to cream, pour pancakes and pancakes on them, it can be served with creamy ice cream or cottage cheese. The taste of dessert from this combination will only benefit.
Mint syrup: a classic recipe
To prepare mint syrup according to a traditional recipe, you will need: 1 cup mint leaves, 200 g sugar and 220 ml water, lemon juice or citric acid (at the tip of a knife).
Separate the leaves from the stems, rinse them in a large amount of water, cut into fairly large and tightly tamp into a glass. Prepare syrup from water and sugar. Cook it for 10 minutes until it begins to thicken. After that, drop mint leaves into the pan with syrup. Let it simmer, then turn off the stove. Now the syrup should be infused for 1 hour.
At this time, prepare a jar (from the specified number of ingredients, 200 ml of the finished syrup is obtained). Put the pot on the fire again. Let its contents boil, add citric acid, strain and pour the hot syrup into a jar.
Syrup preparation time is 15 minutes, it is infused for 1 hour, and stored all winter in a dark, cool place or on the refrigerator shelf for no more than 6 months.
The mint syrup is reminiscent of fresh liquid honey in terms of color, unlike the product sold in the store, it is not green, but amber. But if you wish, you can add a natural dye to it - a little spinach juice. Then mint syrup will get an interesting greenish tint. At the same time, its refreshing menthol taste will be fully preserved.
Preservation of mint syrup for the winter
To increase the shelf life of peppermint syrup, it can be preserved. To do this, you need to prepare the following ingredients: 200 g of mint leaves, 1.5 l of water and 1.5 kg of sugar. From such a number of components, 2-3 jars of syrup with a volume of 0.5 liters will be obtained.
Mint syrup for the winter is prepared in the following sequence:
- Rinse the mint leaves under running water and put in a saucepan.
- Pour the peppermint with water, put the pan on the fire and boil.
- As soon as the water boils, turn off the stove and set the pan aside for 24 hours.
- After the specified time, strain the mint infusion, then pour sugar into the pan and put it on the fire again.
- Boil peppermint syrup over low heat for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The longer the cooking time, the thicker it will turn out.
- Pour hot syrup into sterile jars, preserve lids and wrap them until they cool completely.
- Store in a cool, dark place for about 1 year.
Mint syrup at home is thick and aromatic. And it may well replace natural honey.
Peppermint Syrup with Ginger
To prepare spicy mint syrup, you will need to take one glass of sugar, water and chopped mint. Only leaves of the plant will be needed, so they must first be separated from the stems. A glass of mint should be well packed, otherwise the taste of the syrup will not be so full.
Pour water into the pan and add sugar to it. Boil a little. Then, chopped mint leaves should be poured with still hot sugar syrup. Cover the pan with a lid and leave it like that for a day. After the specified time, the syrup needs to be boiled again. Put the pan on a slow fire, let it boil and cook for 8 minutes, stirring constantly. At the very end of the preparation, add dried ginger (on the tip of the knife). Pour the mint syrup into a clean jar while still hot, cover with a lid. Keep in the refrigerator for no more than 6 months.
As a spicy-aromatic additive, you can use not only ginger, but also cinnamon, cloves, etc.
How to Make Mint Dried Mint Syrup
If someone suddenly wanted a natural peppermint syrup in the winter, when you can’t get any fresh leaves anywhere, you can prepare a healthy delicacy of dried peppermint. You can buy it at any pharmacy.
Peppermint syrup, the recipe of which is proposed below, turns out to be as rich and aromatic as it was boiled in summer from a freshly picked plant. To prepare it, you will need 50 g of dried mint, 1 l of water, 400 g of sugar.
Water must first be boiled in order to pour dried mint with it. Cover the dishes and let stand for 1.5 hours. Then strain the infusion using cheesecloth, folded in four layers, add sugar and boil over low heat until a thick mint syrup is obtained.
At home, such a treat can be prepared at any time, because getting dried mint will not be difficult. A delicious drink with the addition of mint syrup will cool in the summer heat and warm in the winter cold.