I love fine coffee – and I hate to admit it, but I like it even better when I add a little flavored coffee syrup. I often feel guilty. Many commercial coffee syrups contain corn syrup and have lots of artificial ingredients.
I no longer need to feel guilty. I found a recipe for the perfect Mint Syrup in the place I would have least expected – in a hundred-year-magazine. It’s made with fresh mint leaves and there’s not a bit of corn syrup in it (though there is lots of sugar, so maybe I should continue to feel just a bit guilty). This simple syrup highlights the bright, complex nuanced flavor of the mint, and is wonderful in coffee and other beverages and foods.
Here’s the original recipe:
And here is the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Mint Syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup mint leaves
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan; then add the mint leaves. Bring to a boil using medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid begins to thicken to a syrup consistency (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat; strain and cool.
A Hundred Years Ago 
Yum, that sounds healthier than the coffee creamer that I buy! Hugz Lisa
That’s what I thought, too.
The mint syrup sounds wonderful, but I’m not sure about putting it in coffee. Maybe I’m just not sophisticated enough! Actually, I add some cream to coffee, but never add sugar, so there’s that. But mint syrup over ice cream? That sounds very nice. I’ll bet if I put my mind to it, I could find some other uses for it, too: iced tea, for example.
It would be lovely in iced tea.
Homemade syrups are the best. I’m sure the aroma in the kitchen while cooking was wonderful.
I’m now wondering, when did we start writing syrup instead of sirup and why?
The kitchen did smell nice when I made this recipe. I also wondered about the unusual (archaic?) spelling of syrup/sirup.
What a great, refreshing treat!
It is lovely.
Anything homemade has to be better and don’t feel guilty a little of what you fancy does you good 🙂
Thanks for the reassurance – I’ll try not to feel guilty. 🙂
What a lovely fine! I don’t care for sweet coffee but I so agree with shoreacres .. over ice cream it would be great!
mmm. . . Sounds yummy over ice cream. Simple syrups like this have so many uses.
Lovely recipe and, yes, it would be good over ice cream.
I agree.
I wonder if the syrup would still be just as good if you cut the sugar to 1/2 cup.
I think that you could – though the syrup would not be a thick (or you’d have to cook it longer to make it as thick).
I can’t quite imagine this in coffee but in bourbon . . . ? Oh, yeah!
🙂
I’ve never considered mint syrup, what a fun find. Not being a coffee drinker, I’d probably try it in green tea or maybe over pancakes…
mmm. . . these sound like tasty ideas.
Mint syrup in chocolate, to go with a chocolate mint. 😀
Stay tuned. . .
Looks delicious!
Would definitely try it