Earl Grey Syrup

Earl Grey Syrup is one of my favorite syrups to make! It's so easy and brings such a delicious flavor to your cocktails. The bergamot and black tea flavor of Earl Grey gives this simple syrup such a unique and versatile flavor. So good with whiskey, rum, gin and more!

Earl Grey simple syrup is such a treat, especially in fall and winter seasons. It's so good in a Rum Hot Toddy!

If you're an Earl Grey tea lover, check out this Earl Grey Sour. This recipe uses tea-infused gin, but you can get an even stronger tea flavor when you use this syrup in it instead of plain simple syrup.

Homemade syrups are one of the easiest way to level up your mixology game! Check out these 15+ best flavored simple syrup recipes and impress your friends with lots of delicious flavors! The Cinnamon Syrup is one of my favorites!

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make Earl Grey syrup:

• Sugar - granulated white sugar will give the cleanest flavor.
• Water - filtered or bottled water works great.
• Earl Grey Tea bags - this is what brings the flavor! It's blend of black tea with bergamot oils. Bergamot is a fragrant citrus fruit that is native to Italy. I used Bigelow Earl Grey tea bags. If you have loose leaf tea, you can use it in an infuser or just loose in the saucepan, as it will get strained out at the end.

Substitutions

Don't have an ingredient? Here are some substitute ideas:

• Sugar - if you don't have plain white granulated sugar, you can use brown sugar, coconut sugar, or any type of natural/unprocessed sugar. You can even use maple syrup as a base, but without the extra water (just gently heat it with the tea bags).
• Earl Grey - if you don't have this type of tea, you can flavor your syrup with a different type of tea. All tea bags will work with this method.

Variations

Here are some variations on this tea syrup recipe:

• Keto-Friendly Version- it's easy to make this into a keto-friendly syrup. Just switch out the sugar for a sugar free sweetener. My favorite is allulose because it not only tastes the best, but it also acts like sugar and thickens up the liquid (unlike with erythritol, where you need to thicken it with xanthan gum). Just use 1¼ cup of the allulose in place of the 1 cup of sugar.
• Earl Grey Vanilla Syrup - stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract after the syrup comes off the heat for a warm vanilla flavor.
• Earl Grey with Lemon - add a teaspoon of lemon extract after the syrup comes off the heat. The lemon oils in the extract will blend really well with the bergamot flavor.

Equipment

To make this recipe you'll need a medium saucepan and a spoon or spatula. A fine mesh strainer, a funnel, and an airtight glass container are all great to help you strain and store the syrup.

The recipe makes about 10 fluid ounces of syrup, so make sure your container will hold that small amount! I like these 12 ounce swing-top bottles, or mason jars work really well too.

Instructions

To start, add the water and sugar to a medium saucepan. Place it over medium heat and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat to a simmer and add the tea bags.

Simmer for 3 minutes, and then remove from the heat.

Cover the saucepan, and let the tea bags steep for about 10 minutes.

You can either let the syrup cool to room temperature, or place the bottom of the saucepan in an ice bath to quickly cool everything down.

Take the tea bags out of the syrup and discard.

Use a funnel to pour the liquid into your storage container. You can pour it through a fine mesh strainer, which will help make sure any stray loose tea gets strained out.

Use it right away, or store it for up to a month in the refrigerator. Discard at any sign of cloudiness or mold.

Hint: Want a thicker syrup? You can just reduce the amount of water by half. This will make what's called a rich simple syrup, and you'll get lots of sweetness and flavor in a more concentrated sweetener.

Frequently Asked Questions

Top tip

There are so many ways to use this syrup! Here are a few delicious ideas:

• Iced Earl Grey Tea - use this syrup to sweeten any iced tea. It's great to sweeten hot tea too, but for iced tea, using syrup means you won't have to wait for the sugar crystals to dissolve. Sweet!
• Earl Grey Latte - use this syrup to sweeten your tea or coffee latte for an extra punch of flavor.
• Earl Grey Old Fashioned - use this in place of regular simple syrup in a whiskey based Old Fashioned for a citrusy twist on the classic.