Bar specialties syrup
Gum Syrup (Gomme Syrup)
Rich syrup thickened with gum arabic. Same sweetness, silkier drinks.
- 1 hr 13 min total
- 2½ cups580 ml
- Keeps 1 month
Quick answer
Gum syrup (gomme) is rich sugar syrup thickened with gum arabic, which gives cocktails a silky texture. Whisk 60 g gum arabic powder into 120 ml warm water and let it dissolve for about an hour, stir it into a warm syrup of 400 g sugar and 200 ml water, then skim, strain and refrigerate.
Gum syrup is what 19th-century bartenders used when they wanted a drink to feel plush. Gum arabic, a natural resin from acacia trees, adds body without adding flavor, so an Old Fashioned or Sazerac feels rounder and a Pisco Sour turns silky.
It takes two parts: dissolve the gum in warm water, then stir it into a rich 2:1 syrup. The gum water thins the syrup back down, so the finished batch is about as sweet as standard simple syrup and swaps straight into any recipe.
Tastesneutral sweetnesssilkyfull body
The recipe
Gum Syrup (Gomme Syrup)
Ingredients for 2½ cups580 ml
You’ll need: gum arabic, kitchen scale, small saucepan, immersion blender, fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth, swing-top bottlegum arabic, kitchen scale, small saucepan, immersion blender, fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth, swing-top bottle
Method
-
Hydrate the gum
Pour the warm water into a wide bowl or jar. Sprinkle in the gum arabic powder a spoonful at a time, whisking constantly, until it's all in. Cover and let it stand, whisking now and then, until completely smooth with no lumps, about 1 hour.
1⁄3 cup + 1½ tbsp60 g gum arabic powder½ cup120 ml warm water for the gum¾ cup + 1½ tbsp200 ml water for the syrup
-
Make the rich syrup
Warm the water for the syrup in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the sugar and stir until the syrup is completely clear, 3–5 minutes. Don't let it boil.
2 cups400 g granulated sugar
-
Combine
Turn the heat to low and stir in the gum solution, scraping the bowl. Stir gently for 2 minutes until smooth and evenly blended. Keep it below a simmer, because gum syrup foams up quickly.
-
Skim and strain
Take the pan off the heat and skim off any foam. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth to catch any undissolved bits.
-
Rest and bottle
Let it cool, then bottle and refrigerate. Rest it overnight before using: the tiny air bubbles rise out and the syrup turns clearer and silkier.
Storage. Keeps about 1 month in a sealed bottle in the fridge. A faint, pearly haze is normal for gum syrup. Cloudiness that develops later, fizzing, a stringy texture or a sour smell means it's time to throw it out. It thickens when cold, so shake it before pouring.
Per 1 tbsp (15 ml): about 40 kcal, 10.3 g sugar (estimate).
How to use it
Pisco Sour
2 oz (60 ml) pisco, 1 oz (30 ml) lime juice, ¾ oz (22 ml) gum syrup and 1 egg white (pasteurized if you prefer). Dry-shake, shake again with ice, strain into a coupe and dot the foam with Angostura.
Full recipe and historySazerac
2 oz (60 ml) rye, 1 barspoon to ¼ oz (5–7 ml) gum syrup and 3 dashes Peychaud's bitters. Stir with ice, strain into a chilled glass rinsed with absinthe and express a lemon peel.
Old Fashioned
¼ oz (7 ml) with 2 oz (60 ml) bourbon or rye and 2 dashes Angostura. Stir over ice and express an orange peel.
Full recipe and historyDaiquiri
¾ oz (22 ml) with 2 oz (60 ml) white rum and 1 oz (30 ml) lime juice. Shake hard and strain; the gum gives it an almost creamy texture.
Egg-free sours
Use ¾ oz (22 ml) in place of simple syrup in a Whiskey or Gin Sour to add body when you skip the egg white.
Classic drinks with Gum Syrup syrup
Gear for this recipe
KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender (KHBV53)
Purée fruit syrups or blend orgeat right in the pot, no pouring hot liquid into a blender. Variable speed limits splatter.
Best for Fruit purées and orgeat
Escali Primo Digital Kitchen Scale (11 lb)
Best for Exact ratios, every batch
Otis Classic 16 oz Swing-Top Glass Bottles (6-pack)
Best for Storing and gifting any syrup
Cuisinart Fine Mesh Stainless Strainers (set of 3)
Best for Every infused or fruit syrup
More gear for this recipe (3)
Regency Wraps Ultra Fine Cheesecloth (9 sq ft)
Best for Crystal-clear syrups
Food-Grade Gum Arabic Powder (4 oz)
Best for Gum (gomme) syrup
Cuisinart Chef's Classic 1.5 qt Stainless Saucepan with Lid
Best for Every stovetop syrup
Tips for the best batch
- Add the gum slowly while whisking. Dumped in all at once, it forms gummy clumps with dry powder inside that can take hours to dissolve.
- In a hurry? An immersion blender dissolves the gum in about a minute. It whips in air, so let the bubbles settle before you combine it with the syrup.
- Buy food-grade gum arabic from a baking or cake-decorating supplier. Gum arabic sold for painting and printmaking isn't meant to be eaten.
- Swap it 1:1 for simple syrup. The texture shows most in spirit-forward drinks and sours; in a Collins or iced tea, plain simple syrup does the same job.
Variations
Pineapple gum syrup
Stir 1 cup (165 g) diced fresh pineapple into the cooled syrup, refrigerate overnight, then strain. It's the traditional sweetener for Pisco Punch. With fresh fruit in it, use it within about 1 week.
Demerara gum syrup
Make the syrup with demerara sugar for toffee notes that suit whiskey and rum Old Fashioneds.
Lighter body
Halve the gum and its water (30 g gum in 60 ml water) for a subtler texture that's easier to pour straight from the fridge.
Questions people ask
What is gum syrup?
Gum syrup, or gomme syrup, is a rich sugar syrup thickened with gum arabic, a natural resin from acacia trees. It sweetens like simple syrup but gives drinks a silkier, rounder texture. In Peru it's called jarabe de goma, the traditional sweetener for a Pisco Sour.
What's the difference between gum syrup and simple syrup?
Sweetness is about the same, so you can swap them measure for measure. The difference is texture: gum syrup adds body you notice most in stirred, spirit-forward drinks and shaken sours.
Where do I buy gum arabic?
Look for food-grade gum arabic powder, sometimes labeled acacia gum, from baking and cake-decorating suppliers, spice shops or online. Powder dissolves far faster than the whole lumps, called tears.
Is gum arabic safe to eat?
Yes. It's a common food additive (E414) used in candy, soft drinks and icing, and it's mostly soluble fiber. A ¾ oz pour of this syrup contains about 2 g.
How long does homemade gum syrup last?
About 1 month in a clean, sealed bottle in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer. The pineapple version keeps about a week.
Keep going