Jazz up your holiday drinks with my homemade gingerbread syrup full of winter spices. Perfect for making gingerbread latte and Christmas espresso Martinis!
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Recipe in collaboration with Scott Slimissimo
I celebrated a major blog milestone a couple of days ago – six full years of blogging! I can hardly believe how quickly the time has flown by and I feel so incredibly lucky to have partnered with many amazing brands and products over the years.
This collaboration with Scott Slimissimo marries my love of coffee with an incredible product – a stunning coffee machine that creates freshly brewed coffee directly from coffee beans! If I sound a tad enthusiastic it is because I truly am. Let me count the ways I love my Slimissimo…
- It lives up to its name being a slim 18cm, easily fitting on my kitchen counter
- Beautifully designed and a true pleasure to use: I am rather allergic to manuals so I appreciate that this is pretty much a plug in and go machine! It’s also very easy to clean.
- It boasts a quick brewing system with 19 bar of pressure for optimal flavour extraction directly from coffee beans. This is not coffee bar coffee – it is FAR BETTER. A cup is brewed in 40 seconds and has the most beautiful crema.
- Cup quantity memory function, which remembers how you like your coffee and how high to fill your favourite mug. In my case, pretty high!
- Eco friendly: by brewing directly from beans much less packaging is required and the coffee grounds can go straight into the compost heap. Worth investing in the Slimissimo for this reason alone
- The milk frother (Milkissimo, naturally) is the perfect accessory creating beautiful cold or hot milk froth so you can create winter and summer drinks with ease. It works really well with non-dairy milks like oat and hazelnut too. Plus it makes enough for two cups – big thumbs up from my husband on that one.
- I am not the only one who thinks it’s fabulous… Good Housekeeping gave it a 90/100
Homemade gingerbread syrup
The minute I plugged in my Slimissimo I started coming up with any excuse to create new coffee drinks. And excuses to buy different types of coffee beans!
Normally I like my coffee without too many frills – give me a strong latte or flat white and I am happy.
But the minute December comes around, I start craving gingerbread lattes and spend a fortune in coffee shops (only to be usually disappointed with the drink quality).
Luckily it is super-easy to make flavoured coffee syrups at home – all you need is a handful of ingredients and about 10 minutes of your time!
Gingerbread syrup ingredients
After a bit of experimentation I have settled on this recipe. Feel free to tweak it to your taste. Do not use ground spices as your syrup will end up muddy.
- Sugar – I used golden caster sugar. Granulated sugar can also be used or Demerara sugar for a more pronounced caramel flavour. I also added a little dark brown sugar for colouring.
- A little honey or you can use treacle or molasses if you prefer
- Cinnamon sticks
- Freshly grated ginger – the more you add the stronger the taste
- Peppercorns or allspice berries
- Whole cloves – left those out as I find them quite strong. But if you like cloves they are a must!
- Orange peel – I totally forgot to add this in my video but don’t make the same mistake 😉
- Water: this syrup uses equal amounts of water to sugar and honey and you can easily double the recipe. If you want a thicker syrup you can use less water.
How to make homemade gingerbread syrup
Step 1. Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over medium-low heat to dissolve the sugar. Turn the heat off once the syrup has come to a simmer. Do not boil.
Step 2. Cover and leave the syrup to infuse until cool. Strain into a clean jar or bottle. Keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Can I make sugar-free gingerbread syrup?
Yes! You can use a brown sugar alternative such as Sukrin Gold which contains Stevia or Splenda brown sugar blend.
Read the package instructions about ratio of sweetener to real sugar – the Sukrin one is same quantity (1:1). Leave out the honey and brown sugar.
Homemade gingerbread latte
Well you knew I had to make this right? It is a doddle using the Milkissimo milk frother. Brew your coffee, stir in the gingerbread syrup to taste, and pour in hot frothed milk.
Serve it just with milk or topped with whipped cream for extra indulgence! A dusting of grated nutmeg is a must if you are a nutmeg lover.
I always have a batch of my gingerbread cookies ready to serve alongside or as mug decor – simply cut a little slice out so the cookie balances on your cup.
Make mine a Gingerbread Espresso Martini!
You can use the gingerbread syrup in cocktails too and it makes an amazing Espresso Martini! You will find the recipe below but feel free to experiment and create other drinks too.
The perfect Christmas gift
I am talking about my gingerbread syrup which can be bottled and given as a lovely edible gift, perhaps with a jar of coffee beans.
CRAZY FOR GINGERBREAD? TRY THESE RECIPES
Homemade gingerbread syrup
Ingredients
For gingerbread syrup
- 240 ml | 1 cup water
- 200 g | 1 cup golden caster or granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp honey or treacle (molasses)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 4 peppercorns or allspice berries
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 strip orange peel
For gingerbread espresso martini (makes 1)
- 5 ginger cookies
- 80 ml | 1/3 cup freshly brewed espresso
- 1 tbsp gingerbread syrup
- 25 ml | 1 measure Tia Maria or Kalhua
- 25 ml | 1 measure vodka or spiced rum
Instructions
Make the gingerbread syrup
- Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over medium-low heat to dissolve the sugar.
- Turn the heat off once the syrup has come to a simmer. Do not boil.
- Cover and leave the syrup to infuse until cool.
- Strain into a clean jar or bottle. Keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Gingerbread latte
- Stir in gingerbread syrup to freshly brewed coffee to taste. Stir and top with frothed milk.
- Add whipped cream and a little grated nutmeg if you like.
Gingerbread Espresso Martini
- Crush the cookies to a fine powder and empty onto a shallow plate. Moisten the rim of a martini or coupe glass and dip in the cookie powder to frost.
- Add all remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds and strain into the prepared glass.
Video
Notes
Mags says
Would maple syrup be an okay substitute for honey? Not really a fan, so I don’t usually have any in my house.
Lucy Parissi says
Yes that should work
Nickki says
You are totally talking my language here Lucy! Gingerbread latte is my absolute favourite seasonal drink. i’ve tried to make the syrup myself a couple of times, but I’ve always been a little underwhelmed so I will give your recipe a go. I HAVE to try the gingerbread martini!
Praj says
Espresso Martini with gingerbread syrup. Such a brilliant idea!! Can’t wait to make it . I am sure this will be perfect for holiday parties too !!
Lucy Parissi says
It’s the perfect festive drink! I think I will make some while tree decorating 😉
Julia Frey says
I don’t blame you for wanting to make more coffee drinks. This machine looks incredible as do the photos in this post. So festive! I just want to throw my laptop away and cozy up with a cup of coffee and a book!
Claire Jessiman says
I was all over the gingerbread syrup and then you upped the game with an espresso martini! This would definately be cheaper than my usual festive coffee shop habbit.
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
I can imagine this being delicious! So many people rave about gingerbread flavoured coffee at this time of year and they could make it themselves with your recipe rather than spending so much money and using so many takeaway cups! Lovely festive photos.
Lucy Parissi says
I am forever buying those festive coffees in Starbucks and hating myself after because they are all so bad! This is wayyyyy better!