Dragon fruit syrup adds a subtle tropical fruit flavour and a bright pink hue to cocktails. Here’s how to make it using the more commonly found white fleshed dragon fruit.
Dragon Fruit Syrup – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
Dragon fruit, also called pitaya or pitahaya is the fruit of a type of cactus that produces an exotic looking fruit with various coloured flesh speckled with tiny black seeds. Australia mostly grows three varieties, bright pink skin with white flesh (as per photo above), bright pink skin with red flesh and a rarer variety with yellow skin and white flesh.
Although it has colourful aesthetics, dragon fruit has a mild flavour similar to kiwi fruit, watermelon and strawberry. The most common type is the white fleshed variety which in the absence of the red fleshed fruit can be used to make a pink coloured fruity syrup.
Dragon fruit syrup adds a subtle fruity note as well as a bright colour to cocktails. To make the syrup, simply the cut fruit including the pink skin into small pieces, bring to a simmer with equal parts of water and sugar until it’s dissolved. Leave to cool and for the flavours and colours to steep before fine straining into a clean glass bottle.
How to Make Dragon Fruit Syrup
Ingredients
- half a white dragon fruit, cut into small pieces including skin
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Equipment: small pan, fine strainer, funnel, swing top glass bottle
Method
In a small pan, add cut the dragon fruit including the skin, sugar and water and slowly bring to a simmer. Cook until the sugar has fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to sit for 4-6 hours. Fine strain into a clean swing top glass bottle and discard the solids. The dragon fruit syrup can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.
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