This woodsy, pine-tip infused sweet soda is a delicious drink. Make your own Pine Tip Syrup (see below) using bright green new pine tips and let it add a manly, live-in-a-log-cabin vibe to your cocktails. Pine syrup works best in a simple, pared-down recipe, but you can always add a little ginger slice if you’re the fancy sort.
Ingredients:
- premium vodka 60 ml (2 oz)
- Pine Tip Syrup (see below) 30 ml (1 oz)
- lemon juice, freshly squeezed 15 ml (1/2 oz)
- chilled soda water to top up
- Equipment: shaker, strainer
- Glass Type: coupe
Method:
Shake the vodka, syrup and lemon juice over ice until frosty and strain into a coupe. Top up with soda water.
Tip: Chill your coupe for extra frostiness.
Photo from Adobe Stock/DPRM
Pine Tip Syrup
Makes enough dashes for approximately 15 drinks
Ingredients:
- 200 ml (7 oz) water
- 100 g (3 1/2 oz) demerara, cane or granulated sugar
- handful of freshly picked pine tips (the little bright green leaves from spruce or pine trees)
- 1 tbsp golden syrup or corn
- syrup (optional)
- Equipment: Non-stick saucepan, wooden spoon, 200 ml (7 oz) Kilner (Mason) jar or glass bottle with stopper and a funnel
Method:
Boil the water in a non-stick saucepan and gently add the sugar and pine tips. Reduce the heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 3-5 minutes, until all the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is clear. Turn off the heat and leave to cool. While still runny, pour into a sterilised Kilner (Mason) jar or funnel into a sterilised glass bottle with stopper. Adding a spoonful of golden or corn syrup to the cooled mixture will help keep the syrup smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.
Also from Vodka:
Recipes excerpted with permission from Vodka: Shake, Muddle, Stir by Dan Jones, published by Hardie Grant Books, October 2019, RRP $16.00 hardcover.
