What’s Strawberry Syrup?

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Strawberry syrup is not only tasty and healthy, but versatile. Easy to prepare, it can then be used for anything from a topping for cereal or pancakes in the morning to part of the mix for an evening cocktail. There are slight variations between strawberry syrup recipes, but most involve sugar, cornstarch or corn syrup, and lemon juice. And, of course, strawberries.

These ingredients are similar to those used in strawberry jam, with one important difference. Jam always uses crushed berries, while strawberry syrup can be made using just the juice extracted from those berries.

After the juice has been extracted, it is combined in a saucepan with the sugar and syrup and cooked over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. The mixture is then boiled for two minutes, after which the foam is skimmed off the tip of the liquid and lemon juice is added.

Another version is to include the strawberries themselves, but run the mixture through a blender after cooking to homogenize the liquid. A form of strawberry syrup can also be made with strawberry-flavored gelatin.

The Nestle company came out with Nesquik strawberry powder in the 1950s and Hershey unveiled a strawberry syrup in 1989. Two tablespoons in a glass of milk will do the transformation. A higher percentage of strawberries go into smoothies and a blend that can be frozen to form popsicles.

The Drinknation website lists a number of beverages that can be used with strawberry syrup. Apparently, the alcoholic partners are nearly unlimited, including vokda, rum, tequila, kahlua, amaretto, gin, and Bailey’s Irish Creme. A number of commercial strawberry syrups are available as mixers, both for cocktails and cocktails, but homemade syrup can work just as well.

Strawberries are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, high in vitamin C and manganese. On the downside, especially for diabetics, they are also high in sugar.

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