The sweet and floral notes of quince are captured in two quince syrup recipes, a spiced quince syrup and a savoury quince syrup ready to use in autumn cocktails.
Quince Syrup – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
Quince is an autumn fruit that lends itself to cooler season cocktails. The yellow fruit has aromas that recall apple, pear with a hint of citrus. When cooked, the hard, tart and astringent flesh softens and turns a pinkish colour with a floral note and a sweet flavour.
Making quince syrup for cocktails essentially involves making quince jam and using the liquid. The cooking process releases pectins which result in a dense, thick syrup that is fine strained and bottled.
The first recipe is for a spiced quince syrup using warm spices, namely star anise, cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves and allspice berries. The warm notes of the toasted spices make an ideal pairing to the sweetness of the quince. The savoury quince syrup recipe uses rosemary which imparts a woody and piney note that cuts down on some of the sweetness and works well in cocktails.
The following recipes can be scaled up or down as required.
Spiced Quince Syrup
Ingredients
- 2 medium quinces, about 250g each
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 medium sized lemon, freshly squeezed
- 1 star anise
- 4 cardamom pods, bruised
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 2 cloves
- 2 allspice berries
Equipment: small saucepan, fine strainer, funnel, swing to glass bottle, vegetable peeler
Method
- In a small pan, toast the star anise, cardamom pods, cinnamon quill, cloves and allspice berries until fragrant. Remove from the heat to prevent further toasting and put aside.
- To prepare the quince, wash and dry the fruit. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the fruit and reserve the peel. Remove the core and cut the fruit lengthways into thin segments.
- In a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to the boil. Add the sliced quince, peel, lemon juice and toasted spices.
- Simmer on very low heat slightly covered for approximately 45 minutes to one hour. The fruit will turn pink in colour and should be easy to pierce with a fork.
- Leave to cool then remove the fruit which can be consumed or dehydrated.
- Fine strain the syrup into a swing top bottle and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Savoury Quince Syrup
Ingredients
- 2 medium quinces, about 250g each
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 medium sized lemon, freshly squeezed
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Equipment: small saucepan, fine strainer, funnel, swing to glass bottle, vegetable peeler
Method
- To prepare the quince, wash and dry the fruit. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the fruit and reserve it. Remove the core and discard it then cut the fruit lengthways into thin segments.
- In a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to the boil. Add the sliced quince, peel, lemon juice and rosemary sprig.
- Simmer on very low heat covered for approximately 45 minutes to one hour. The fruit will turn pink in colour and should be easy to pierce with a fork.
- Leave to cool then remove the fruit which can be consumed or dehydrated.
- Fine strain the syrup into a swing top bottle and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Next… Quince and Rosemary Highball
