Spiced gingerbread syrup

A delicious and versatile treat!

You’re likely aware that it’s easy to save a lot of money by making delicious syrups at home to create delectable, fancy hot drinks. This gingerbread syrup is a perfect example. Add it to a cup of hot coffee with a little milk and you’ll have a perfect gingerbread latte. It’s also delightful added to tea for a chai-like beverage and you can even stir it into a mug of warmed milk. But the fun doesn’t stop there – pour it over ice cream, add it to maple syrup for a terrific pancake topping or use it to make a creative cocktail. This easy syrup makes a fabulous holiday or host/hostess gift as well.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) water
• 1 piece of fresh ginger (2 inches / 5 cm), thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (90 mL) molasses
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice, cracked
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) vanilla extract

Method

• Place the water, ginger slices, brown sugar, molasses, ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and pepper in a small saucepan, placed over medium heat. Stir to blend.
• Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring frequently, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Cover the pot and let the mixture infuse for 30 minutes.
• Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a clean glass jar or bottle. Let cool at room temperature then refrigerate for up to a month.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups (310 mL).