Post #519592 by Brandomoai on Wed, Mar 24, 2010 10:21 AM

Has anyone else had problems trying to make homemade Allspice Syrup? Admittedly, I'm no wiz in the kitchen, but I managed not to ruin simple syrup so I thought I'd try my hand at Allspice syrup. I couldn't find whole allspice berries, so I used the ground stuff. I think this is the problem as twice now it's ended up very grainy. I've picked up a big container of whole berries and I'm planning on trying again this week. There's not a lot of info or feedback on the finer details of this process, so I assume people aren't having that many problems making this stuff. Here's what I need to know before I waste another cup of sugar and a few hours time:

1. What should I use to grind the berries? Would a mortar and pestle work or should I be using an electric coffee grinder type of thing?
2. After the steeping process is done, what should I be using to strain the syrup? I've tried a sieve but it came out quite grainy, and I've tried coffee filters but they came so clogged the liquid couldn't get through.
3. Is it supposed to be a bit grainy? Maybe that's unavoidable, but I think by using whole berries and grinding them myself (as the original recipe implies) the allspice will be a little coarser and thus easier to filter.
   If anyone can offer any feedback, it would be very much appreciated! I've been craving a good navy grog for weeks now and there's nowhere in this town to get the real deal...