Homemade Vanilla Syrup

Before you start

Vanilla syrup is a 1:1 simple syrup flavored with vanilla, and it is the most-used syrup on any coffee bar. Made with a split bean, it is deeply aromatic, slightly floral and flecked with seeds. Made with extract, it is quicker and still very good, as long as you add the extract after the heat is off, because its alcohol carries the flavor and boiling it away wastes much of the aroma.

The bean version needs a steep: the pod keeps giving flavor as the syrup cools, and leaving it in the bottle continues the infusion. Either way, a tiny pinch of salt makes the vanilla taste fuller. Use about 15 to 20 ml per latte, or 15 ml in a cocktail in place of plain simple syrup.

Ingredients

• 240 ml (1 cup) water
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla bean — split lengthwise; or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 small pinch fine salt

Method

1. If using a bean, split it lengthwise with a paring knife and scrape out the seeds with the back of the blade.
2. Combine the water, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Add the scraped seeds and the pod.
3. Heat over medium, stirring, until the sugar dissolves completely and the syrup just begins to steam, about 4 to 5 minutes. Do not boil.
4. Remove from the heat. Cover and let the bean steep for 30 minutes as the syrup cools.
5. If using extract instead, let the plain syrup cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the vanilla extract.
6. Pour into a clean bottle. Strain if you prefer it without specks, or tuck the pod into the bottle to keep infusing.

Tips for success

• After using a bean, rinse and dry the spent pod and bury it in a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar.
• Plump, flexible beans give the most flavor. Dry, brittle beans have lost much of their aroma.
• Taste before adding to coffee; bean-based syrup is often stronger than store-bought.

Substitutions

Vanilla bean

2 tsp pure vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste. Paste adds visible seeds; imitation vanilla tastes sharper and more one-dimensional.

Granulated sugar

Cane sugar or light demerara gives a warmer, slightly caramel syrup. A 2:1 rich ratio keeps longer and adds body to stirred cocktails.

Water

Replacing a quarter of the water with whole milk does not work well; it shortens storage drastically. Keep the syrup water-based and add milk in the drink.

Variations

Vanilla bean brown sugar

Swap half the white sugar for light brown sugar for a toffee note.

French vanilla

Add ¼ tsp almond extract with the vanilla for the café-style flavor.

Troubleshooting

The vanilla flavor is faint

The extract was boiled or the bean was dry. Add extract off the heat and let a bean steep longer, even overnight in the fridge.

The syrup is cloudy

Fine vanilla seeds can make it hazy, which is harmless. If cloudiness appears later with an off smell, it has spoiled and should be discarded.

It tastes boozy

Too much extract. Dilute with a little more plain syrup and use less next time.

Storage

Refrigerate in a clean, sealed bottle. Like other 1:1 syrups, it typically keeps 2 to 4 weeks; a bean left in the bottle is fine. Discard the syrup if it turns cloudy, smells sour or shows mold.