Avoid dyes
Commercial mint syrups owe their color to dyes (from the E100 family). Some of them are suspected of developing allergic reactions, or increasing hyperactivity and attention deficits in children.
At home, we prepare a less attractive syrup, certainly, but much better for health. And in the trade, it is better to choose organic syrups, which do not use these dyes.
Do not swallow glucose-fructose syrup
the glucose-fructosethis ersatz sugar, produced from corn, has an iglycemic index ultra high, but more importantly, it is believed to promote increased triglycerides and overweight. At home, we prefer classic sugar, or even better, blond cane sugar.
The lighter homemade recipe
For 1.5 liters of syrup
Preparation: 15 mins
Wait: 48 hours
Cooking: 15 mins
– Rinse 1 nice bunch of fresh mint and roughly chop it with a pair of scissors (stems included).
– Put in a saucepan with 1 liter of mineral water and 1 kg of golden cane sugar. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes over very low heat, the time to melt the sugar.
– Pour into a bowl, cover and leave to infuse for 48 hours.
– Pour back into a saucepan and heat again, still over very low heat, then strain through a sieve, pressing the mint well. Pour back into the saucepan and let reduce for 10 minutes. At the end of cooking, add 4 drops of spearmint essential oil and the juice of 1 lemon. Pour into a bottle and keep cool.
We vary the pleasures
• Homemade lemon syrup: prepare a syrup by infusing the zest of 1 organic lemon, then add 3 drops of lemon essential oil.
• Homemade strawberry syrup: rinse 1 kg of strawberries, hull them, cut them into pieces. Put in a saucepan with 20 cl of water and cook for 10 min. Mix then filter through a fine sieve. Weigh the same amount of sugar. Put everything back on the heat and reduce by half. At the end of cooking, add the juice of 1 lemon. Pour into a bottle and keep cool.
