When making drinks with earth-inspired flavors, simple syrups made with various teas are quick way to infuse their flavors. This recipe is for a homemade pine syrup that was first used in the Partridge in a Pear Tree, a Christmas cocktail created by food writer and author Jessica Strand. The recipe in her book Very Merry Cocktails: 50+ Festive Drinks for the Holiday Season didn’t call for woodsy pine, spruce, or birch-flavored ingredients at all, but we decided to add them in as a nod to the “tree” part of the drink’s name and for more complexity. The latter two came from a unique bottle of bitters made by Crude Bitters & Sodas, but the pine came from this syrup I made at home using loose leaf pine tea.
Add 200 ml hot water to a saucepan.
Heat over high heat until boiling, then remove pan from heat.
Add pine tea bags and let steep for 15-20 minutes.
Remove tea bags and return pan to burner over high heat.
Add 200 g sugar and heat while stirring for 3-5 minutes until sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Strain syrup through a fine mesh strainer 1-2 times to remove any tea or sugar particles.
Pour syrup into a squeeze bottle or pouch with a spout using a funnel, then refrigerate or freeze.