It may be the end of summer. We may have already started into the fall recipes here on the blog. BUT, with all of that said, I still have this tiny bit of summer cheer left in me. That and an additional 10 pounds of freshly-frozen local peaches that I picked not too long ago.
While fresh peaches may give off a shine of summer, fresh Peach Simple Syrup will most certainly make for the perfect ‘cheers to you, summer’ cocktail to end things with a bang before pulling out the rakes and pumpkins.
If you want to read a bit about how I ended up with a million, bazillion pounds of fresh, local peaches, be sure to check out the Maple Whiskey Peach Fritters post. You could also use a few slices of the extra fuzzy fruits like we did to accent our recent Dipped Shortbread Cookies.
I refuse to toss out a single extra one of the peaches that I gave my blood, sweat and tears to pick during this summer. I’ll go buy another freezer if I have to. These suckers are mine and will be used all winter long if I have anything to say about it. First on the list has to be the most simple recipe for peach simple syrup.
Simple syrup can be used in a lot of things. You can use it in baking when it calls for a sweetener, toss it lightly with fruit salad to give it a bit of a kick, make a delicious sorbet sweetener with fresh fruit, and of course– cocktails. That’s really why we are all here, right?
Peach is a flavor that accents drinks that are already sweet or have a deep flavor alike. The crispness of the southern staple fruit will help to add a bit of acidity to an overly-sweet concoction or calm a strong, smooth bourbon to give it a delicious caramel-like presentation. You really can’t lose when it comes to using this fruit to spruce up your show.
Simple syrup can be made a few different ways. My favorite recipe is technically known as a rich simple. This means that it is extra sweet, profiting when you mix drinks by allowing you to use only half as much. That means more room for the booze, y’all. Winner, winner sugar dinner! A rich simple is a 2:1 dilution, whereas a simple syrup is a 1:1. Sugar:Water, respectively.
To turn this bar basic recipe into something a bit more special, I added the fruit. You really can do this with just about any fruit. Citrus that is softer will be faster to result in product. I haven’t yet tried this with apples, but I bet it would make for a delicious fall mixer as well.
As a side note: You will see in the pictures that I added some of the sliced peaches into the bottle after the syrup was finished reducing. Do not do what I did. Do what I say, not as I do. Something like that… It exploded. Like… Heard hissing coming from the shelf packed with bottles and then resulted in my cleaning the entire ceiling when I went in for a closer look. My excitement in making this quick pick recipe completely over-shadowerd the fact that fruit will indeed ferment and produce not only alcohol (peach moonshine, y’all!) but gases. Gases in a closed bottle = horrible idea. Don’t do it. That is unless you have a still setup in the forrest or something and go by the name Jim Bob Tom.
I generally go through phases where I make several different blended simples to keep on the bar shelves. Not only can you find some cute bottles to put it in to spruce up the display, but they always add a personal, unique depth to the cocktails you will be handing out. I can’t help but think this bright orange booze companion would be perfect for this year’s Halloween party!
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1-2 peach, sliced (frozen can be used after thawed)
- ½ teaspoon citric acid, optional (read below)
- Bring water and sugar to a boil.
- Add peaches and stir well.
- Add citric acid for longer storage and to maintain color longer.
- Reduce to simmer after sugar is completely dissolved.
- Crush peaches when soft to release more flavor into the syrup.
- Reduce to simmer, cover and cook down for ~25-30 minutes.
- Syrup will be VERY hot. Be cautious.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Strain peaches from syrup. Failure to do this could result in the bottle exploding. (read blog post!)
- Bottle and enjoy in your favorite recipes.
- Visit SouthernFATTY.com for more.
What will you miss most about summer? Most excited about for fall? Let us know below!
Hi wanting to bottle the syrup for cute Christmas gifts in cute bottles. How long will it keep and should I refrigerate it? Help!
Great gift idea! Because it is a 2:1 sugar to water ratio (also called rich syrup), it will last much longer than regular 1:1 syrup. Up to 6 months when refrigerated, as long as you have strained the fruit out very well (a couple times to be safe if you are giving it away). Be sure it is bottled in very hot-cleaned containers or jars. Enjoy!
Fruit in bottle = cork topper! Voila! Cheers, mate!
Yes!
I’ve been making cobblers this peach session and this has been my go to way to use peach peels. I just toss them in a pot with a cup and a half of water and simmer until reduced to 1 cup, then strain and add the sugar just like your recipe from there. I get gorgeous sunset colored syrup perfect for booze, iced tea, or club soda, or to drizzle over the ice cream on that cobbler!
Yes! Such a good way to use them.
This looks delicious!!! Can you used canned peaches instead of fresh ones??
I think that fresh peaches would definitely have a better taste, but I don’t see why you couldn’t used canned. I would maybe lean away from ones canned in syrup. Good luck! Let me know how it goes.
I’m excited to try as peaches are almost gone for the year! I’m new to “canning”/making something that needs to keep long without spoiling…. can you provide link or recommendations for the bottles you use and find suitable? I know mason jars would work but I’d prefer something more pour-friendly such as the swing bottle in your photos; There are so many out there that may not be appropriate and I’d appreciate a trusted referral!
Hope you love it! Are you planning on canning it, or just making some for a bottle to use? It really does have to be canned, as it should last in the fridge for a good month or two. I used the bottles HERE, and love them for this. If you do want to can it to keep for longer, I would recommend the guide here. Let me know how it goes!
Loved the recipe, first time was a little tricky and not exactly peachy enough for the effect we wanted it for, but the second time I doubled the amount of peaches and it came out great! But the problem is, now I have a massive bowl of candied? caramelized? gunked? peaches and I don’t know what to do with it all. I’m curious if you just threw the stuff you strained out or if there is something you can do with it all.
— Thanks!
Interesting. It probably depends on the peaches used, cooking time and temp., etc. I had great results with the amounts here, but the peaches were from a farm just down the road and very fresh. Glad you got it worked out with what you had.
Definitely keep the fruit! I cooked mine down with some sugar after straining and used it to top ice cream and to make simple peach cobblers (peaches with sugar in a ramekin, topped with butter/flour crumble and baked until golden).
Hope your still monitoring these comments. Can this recipe be canned? I’m thinking half pints or pints. Maybe use hot water bath canner? I would assume processing would work similar to jams and jellies.Thoughts?
I don’t see why not! I would recommend hot water canning.
Made this today and it’s wicked thick. Tried to put it into iced tea and bourbon and it became a solid. Not ideal for cocktails. Where did i go wrong? I followed the recipe to the letter.
Oh, no! — My only guess would be that you cooked the sugar at too high of temperature and it reached soft or hard ball phase.
I made a batch of this and opened it up two days later and the syrup has a strong almost body odor smell. Have you heard of this? Is the syrup starting to ferment or go bad?
Eeek! This shouldn’t happen… Especially if you cooked it with the right ratio and brought it to a boil to start. Did you strain it well? Clean the bottle well? Generally, 2:1 (sugar:water) ratio syrups are extremely stable, as bacteria can’t grow with that much sugar present.
Thanks for the quick response! I thought I did everything correctly, but maybe my jars had something in them. Does peeling the peaches make a difference?
I wouldn’t think so. I peel mine because I don’t want any bitterness getting in.
Well I’m not sure what happened, I’ll have to give it another shot. Thanks!
Good stuff. Torani is seven bucks a bottle now, so this is is MUCH better alternative. 🙂
Right? Syrups are way too easy to make yourself.
How long would this keep?
Best kept refrigerated, this will keep for up to 6 months. Because it is a 2:1 (sugar:water) solution, nothing nasty can really grow in it like a regular 1:1 syrup that would keep for 1-2 months. Just watch for cloudiness (strands) to form to be sure, but I’ve never had one go bad. Enjoy!
Could you use honey?
I don’t see why you couldn’t. Maybe just steep the peaches in a bit of water first to extract the flavor and keep it from all becoming too thick.
That was the most entertaining recipe post ever! I enjoyed your sense of humor.
Thaaaanks! If you subscribe, there’s plenty more where that came from 😉
Love this! So many delicious cocktails to be made with this…even in fall/winter!
Couldn’t be any more…. simple! (ohhhh) I’m excited to try a few things out. It’s made me think of other applications for a sweetener other than drinks. *Cheers!*