Shiso Simple Syrup (and Two Cocktail Recipes)
For the love of shiso
Until the past year or so, the only exposure I’ve had to shiso has been tucked away as a garnish on a sushi platter. That all changed when I solo dined at a small Japanese sake bar in Sydney, called Amuro, in summer of 2025. Among the lovely small plates they served, a standout was a grilled octopus with fava bean puree and pickled shiso. Pickled shiso! I was completely in awe of how beautifully complex it was, and yet tamed down just enough from the pickling process as to not overwhelm the other components (BTW - I asked the chef how they prepared it, and have a pickled shiso recipe I tried to replicate here if you’re interested).
Shiso is a cousin of the mint family, and it tastes like a mix of refreshing spearmint, peppery Thai basil, and a tiny hint of citrusy anise. It’s loud, complex, and seriously aromatic.
I’ve been having a lot of fun experimenting with shiso recently: using it raw in salads, rolling them up in my sushi hand rolls, pickling them, and now, utilizing their flavor for a simple syrup, recipe below:
Shiso Simple Syrup
Prep Time: 5 minutes (plus 3–4 hours steeping time)
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Servings: Makes approximately 1 ¼ cups of syrup
Ingredients
240 ml (1 cup) water
200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
10–12 fresh shiso leaves (approx. 25–30 g)
Directions
Combine the water and granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously for 2–3 minutes until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved and the liquid is warm and clear. Do not let it come to a rolling boil, as this will evaporate too much water and alter the syrup's consistency.
Remove the pan from the heat immediately. Drop in the fresh shiso leaves and use a spoon to gently press them down so they are completely submerged in the warm syrup.
Place a lid on the pot. Allow the mixture to steep undisturbed at room temperature for 3–4 hours.
Pour the infused syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean glass jar or bottle, pressing lightly on the leaves to extract any remaining flavor. Discard the spent leaves.
Seal tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
A couple of cocktail recipes
What to do with this shiso syrup? I’ve been loving it in cocktails and homemade lemonades. The shiso syrup brings a sophisticated, savory depth and I find that the natural herbal notes cuts beautifully through the sweetness of the sugar, making it the ultimate pairing for crisp spirits like gin or vodka, and other typical cocktail add-ins like yuzu, lime, and grapefruit. It honestly makes me feel like I’m drinking a high-end, $25 cocktail but at home. My favorites? Shiso margarita and shiso gin sour. Specs for those to follow.
Shiso gin sour to the left, shiso margarita to the right
Shiso margarita (makes 1)
Ingredients
3 oz blanco tequila
1 oz lime juice
¾ oz shiso syrup
¾ oz pineapple juice
Shiso leaf, to garnish
Salt, to rim the glass
Directions
Add tequila, lime juice, shiso syrup, and pineapple juice to a cocktail shaker along with a large handful of ice. Shake vigorously for about 1 minute, until the shaker is ice cold.
Strain the margarita into a chilled, salt-rimmed glass. Add more ice if you’d like. Garnish with a shiso leaf.
Shiso gin sour (makes 1)
Ingredients
2 oz gin
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz shiso syrup
1 oz egg white
Shiso leaf, to garnish
Directions
Add the gin, lemon juice, shiso syrup, and egg white to a cocktail shaker. Shake the cocktail vigorously for one minute (dry shake, no ice).
Add a large handful of ice and shake again until the shaker is ice cold. Double strain the gin sour into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a shiso leaf.