Lemon Cardamom Maple Syrup
Why aren’t we infusing our maple syrup with different flavors more often?! This lemon cardamom maple syrup combines lemon zest, crushed cardamom seeds, and maple syrup (of course) into one very bright, complex and rich syrup. Use it in your morning coffee, on top of blueberry pancakes, drizzled on yogurt, or my recent favorite: in a lemon cardamom whiskey sour. Find the recipe for the cocktail at the bottom of this page.
Lemon Cardamom Maple Syrup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 30 minutes steep time)
Servings: Makes about 1 cup (approx. 8–16 servings depending on use)
Ingredients
1 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp water
Zest from 1 lemon
½ tsp cardamom seeds
Directions
In a mortar and pestle, break up the cardamom seeds into coarse pieces. Alternatively, you can place the seeds in a bag and crush them with a heavy object.
Add the maple syrup, water, lemon zest, and coarse cardamom seeds to a small pot. Place over medium heat and stir occasional until the mixture comes to a gentle simmer.
Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and continue simmering for 1 to 2 minutes to infuse the flavors.
Remove the pan from the heat, place a lid on top, and let the syrup steep and cool for 30-45 minutes.
Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean glass jar or bottle to remove the lemon zest and cardamom pieces. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Lemon Cardamom Whiskey Sours
Ingredients (makes 2)
4 oz whiskey or bourbon
1 ½ oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz lemon cardamom maple syrup
1 large egg white
2 dashes angostura bitters
Ice
Lemon peel, for garnish
Directions
Place two coupes or glasses of choice in the freezer to chill.
Add the whiskey, fresh lemon juice, lemon cardamom maple syrup, egg white, and angostura bitters to a cocktail shaker. Dry shake the cocktail for 1 minute, then top with ice and shake for another minute.
Remove the chilled glasses from the freezer and strain the whiskey sour evenly between both glasses. Garnish with a lemon peel and enjoy.