DIY Coffee Syrups
My current favorite go-to drink of choice at Starbucks these days are the shaken espresso drinks, specifically the iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso! They are so refreshing, simple, and perfect for the approaching warmer months.
The brown sugar flavoring is what inspired our latest DIY project on the blog today…homemade coffee syrups! And when I tell you this project is super easy, I mean really really easy. Like water + sugar + stove top easy.
The best thing about these simple liquid sugar sweeteners are that they can be used so many different ways: to sweeten and flavor coffee or tea, add to your favorite cocktail recipe, or even combine with soda water for a flavored bubbly drink! The particular flavors that I tried below pair perfect with coffee — vanilla, brown sugar, and cinnamon. You can even mix a few flavors together if you’re feeling crazy!
Here are the simple instructions on how to make your own coffee syrups at home! Enjoy.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE COFFEE SYRUPS
You will need:
Water
Sugar
Sauce pan
Glass bottles (I used these IKEA bottles)
Vanilla extract
Brown sugar
Cinnamon sticks
Measuring cup/measuring spoons
STEP 1: Heat 1 cup of water on medium heat in a sauce pan.
STEP 2: Add 1 cup of sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
STEP 3: Remove syrup mixture from heat and add flavoring:
For plain simple syrup - no flavoring necessary for this plain sweetener.
For vanilla syrup - After removing the syrup mixture from heat, add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and stir.
For brown sugar syrup - Use the same process but replace the 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of brown sugar (light or dark).
For cinnamon syrup - After removing the syrup mixture from heat, add 3 cinnamon sticks and cover. Allow cinnamon sticks to steep for about 2 hours then remove sticks before bottling.
STEP 4: Use a funnel to fill the glass bottle with the syrup mixture and allow to cool completely before refrigerating.
The simple syrup should keep for around two weeks if refrigerated.
And that’s all there is to it! I think a mini bottle of coffee syrup would make a cute homemade gift for a coffee lover in your life or even a unique hostess gift. And they look extra cute as a set! To label the bottles, I just used a white paint pen, but you could print out a sticker label or tie a paper label around the neck of the bottle.
There are so many ways you could customize these coffee syrups. You could combine flavors or maybe make some unique holiday versions’?? — I’m thinking pumpkin spice or peppermint!
What is your favorite flavor to add to your coffee drink?
Xo Rachael
