Recipe
Spearmint syrup
About 35 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Steep 2 teaspoons dried leaf in 350 ml boiling water, cover 10 minutes, strain.
- Stir in honey or sugar while heating gently.
- Store refrigerated — milder than peppermint, still aromatic.
Extraction
- Water:
- 350 ml
- Herb:
- 2 teaspoons of dried leaf as specified in the recipe
- Pour temperature:
- 95–100 °C
- Steep:
- 8–12 min
- Solvent:
- Water first, honey or sugar after straining.
- Shelf life:
- After sweetening and bottling, keep chilled; use within weeks under home hygiene conditions.
- Target compounds:
- Essential oil and flavonoids in the infusion before sweetening; greater bitterness if oversteeped.
Why it works
The syrup pairs a hot-water infusion with sweetening; hot water extracts part of the volatiles and polar metabolites, while sugar or honey lowers water activity and extends stability versus an unsweet tea. Steeping time and temperature shift bitterness and loss of very volatile compounds.
Related
Spearmint — Herb card
Syrup — Processing method detail