Fruit syrup
Orange Syrup
Fresh orange juice and zest, warmed just enough to dissolve the sugar. Sunny, fragrant and made for an Old Fashioned.
- 33 min total
- 1½ cups + 1 tbsp370 ml
- Keeps 2 weeks
Photo: Unsplash · Unsplash License
Quick answer
Orange syrup is sugar dissolved in fresh orange juice and water, with orange zest steeped in for aroma. Rub the zest of 2 oranges into 1 cup sugar, warm with ½ cup juice and ½ cup water until dissolved, steep 20 minutes, strain and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Orange juice alone makes a sweet but sleepy syrup; the real orange flavor is in the peel. Rubbing the zest into the sugar releases its oil, and a short steep carries it into the syrup.
Keep the heat low. Boiled orange juice tastes like marmalade, while just-warmed juice still tastes like a fresh orange. A spoonful of lemon juice adds the acidity sweet oranges lack.
Tastesfresh orangezestyhoneyed
The recipe
Orange Syrup
Ingredients for 1½ cups + 1 tbsp370 ml
You’ll need: zester, citrus press, small saucepan, fine-mesh strainer, swing-top bottlezester, citrus press, small saucepan, fine-mesh strainer, swing-top bottle
Method
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Rub zest into sugar
Finely grate the orange zest into a small saucepan, avoiding the white pith. Add the sugar and rub them together with your fingertips until damp and fragrant. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
2 oranges1 cup200 g granulated sugar½ cup120 ml fresh orange juice
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Dissolve
Add the orange juice and water and warm over medium-low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, 2–3 minutes. Keep it below a simmer.
½ cup120 ml water1 tbsp1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
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Steep
Take the pan off the heat and steep for 20 minutes.
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Strain
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer (line it with cheesecloth to catch the pulp for a clear syrup), then stir in the lemon juice.
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Bottle
Let it cool, funnel into a clean bottle and refrigerate.
Storage. Refrigerate in a sealed bottle for up to 2 weeks; a tablespoon of vodka per cup helps it keep a little longer. Freeze extra in ice-cube trays for up to 3 months.
Per 1 tbsp (15 ml): about 31 kcal, 8.1 g sugar (estimate).
How to use it
Orange Old Fashioned
¼ oz (7 ml) with 2 oz (60 ml) bourbon or rye and 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir with ice and garnish with an orange peel.
Margarita
2 oz (60 ml) blanco tequila, 1 oz (30 ml) lime juice and ¾ oz (22 ml) orange syrup in place of orange liqueur. Shake with ice and strain.
Homemade orange soda
1½ oz (45 ml) syrup in 6 oz (180 ml) chilled sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon.
Orange iced tea
1 oz (30 ml) per 8 oz (240 ml) glass of black iced tea.
Sunrise mocktail
1 oz (30 ml) orange syrup and 5 oz (150 ml) soda water over ice, with ½ oz (15 ml) grenadine poured in last so it sinks.
Cake and breakfast
Brush over a warm sponge or olive-oil cake, or drizzle over French toast and yogurt.
Gear for this recipe
Microplane Classic Zester/Grater
Lifts just the fragrant zest, not the bitter pith, for brighter citrus syrups. Also grates fresh ginger and nutmeg.
Best for Citrus and ginger syrups
Zulay Kitchen 2-in-1 Metal Lemon & Lime Squeezer
Best for Fresh citrus for sours and lemonade
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 (2)
Kuhn Rikon Swiss Y-Peeler (set of 3)
Best for Citrus peels for oleo saccharum
Cuisinart Chef's Classic 1.5 qt Stainless Saucepan with Lid
Best for Every stovetop syrup
Tips for the best batch
- Grate the zest before juicing. A microplane takes the oil-rich outer layer and leaves the bitter pith behind.
- Strain out all the pulp if you want a clear syrup for stirred drinks like an Old Fashioned.
- Blood oranges make a ruby syrup; Cara Cara oranges give a pink-tinged, extra-sweet one.
- Taste before bottling. Very sweet oranges need the lemon juice; tart, early-season ones may not.
Variations
Spiced orange
Add 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves and 1 star anise with the juice. Holiday flavor for hot toddies, mulled cider and Old Fashioneds.
Blood orange
Swap in blood oranges for a deep red syrup that's stunning in spritzes and margaritas.
Orange-vanilla
Steep half a split vanilla bean with the zest. Mix with soda water and a splash of cream for a creamsicle soda.
Questions people ask
Can I use store-bought orange juice?
Yes, not-from-concentrate juice works for the juice portion, but you still need fresh zest for real orange aroma. Skip juices with added sugar.
How long does orange simple syrup last?
About 2 weeks in the fridge. Freeze it in ice-cube trays for up to 3 months.
Can orange syrup replace triple sec?
In a margarita or sidecar it can stand in for orange liqueur, minus the alcohol. Use about ¾ oz (22 ml) syrup for every 1 oz (30 ml) liqueur, plus a dash of orange bitters for complexity.
Why does my orange syrup taste bitter?
Pith in the zest or a long, hot steep. Grate only the colored layer and keep the syrup below a simmer.