What to do with cinnamon-infused syrup?

Hi all,

After months of lurking here, I've finally come up with a question for which I can find no satisfactory answer in the archives. Kudos to all the old-timers who've been so helpful over the years!

I've made up a batch of cinnamon-infused syrup per Jeff Berry's directions in Sippin' Safari, and I couldn't be happier. I was using Da Vinci Cinnamon Syrup before, but it's way too spicy and lacks the more delicate flavors that the homemade syrup has. The 1934 Zombie and Nui Nui have never tasted better.

Now I have almost 8 oz of syrup left and I'm not sure what to do with it. As far as I can see, Sippin' Safari has only three other drinks that require it (Jet Pilot, Donga Punch and Tropical Itch), two of which I can't even make due to missing ingredients.

Any ideas?

-Nathan

Definitely a big second on home made syrups. I've gotten on that kick in the past few months too.

Try a 1934 Zombie with home made falernum as well as Donn's Mix - even better.

Other uses for cinnamon - use it to experiment with coffee drinks - hot or cold.

Might be good to add to any cocktail that calls for Applejack too.

Or just have a bunch of people over and use it all up making the Safari drinks!

I'm not an alcoholic, I'm an enthusiast.

[ Edited by: leisure master 2008-08-19 06:41 ]

Go out and buy whatever ingredients you are missing for the Donga Punch and Jet Pilot. Both are outstanding drinks.

Are you asking for other recipes for cocktails? or interesting ways other than cocktails to use up the syrup?

Just put it in the fridge and keep it. Those recipes are some of the best and you'll make them over and over.

Otherwise, it does make for a nice addition to a lot of recipes. It was Marianno Lucidine's (Head Bartender of the Mai Kai) secret ingredient. He put a bit into most of the drinks at the Mai Kai to make them his own.

I'll second that. I've gone through a few batches of cinnamon syrup just on '34 Zombies, Nui Nuis and Jet Pilots. It's worth it to keep a bottle around just for those drinks alone.

On 2008-08-19 06:37, leisure master wrote:
Other uses for cinnamon - use it to experiment with coffee drinks - hot or cold.

That was a great idea. I made myself a little sick on iced coffees with cinnamon syrup this afternoon. I wasn't a fan of cinnamon coffee when using the commercial syrup, but it's a different animal with the homemade. (This experiment made me think to try iced coffee with demerara sugar--also a winner.)

On 2008-08-19 07:20, Austin_Tiki wrote:
Go out and buy whatever ingredients you are missing for the Donga Punch and Jet Pilot. Both are outstanding drinks.

The Jet Pilot looks basically like a 1934 zombie without the grenadine. I'll give it a try shortly though.

On the Donga Punch, unfortunately Pennsylvania is a control state and getting any sort of Martinique rum is a challenge. I can special-order NIESSEN RHUM RESERVE SPECIALE for $68 or
RHUM CLEMENT RHUM VIEUX VSOP AGED for $38, but I haven't yet worked up the financial fortitude to try one.

On 2008-08-19 07:39, Chip and Andy wrote:
Are you asking for other recipes for cocktails? or interesting ways other than cocktails to use up the syrup?

I was thinking of cocktails, but other suggestions are welcome!

"Oyster Schnapps"? What kind of cocktail would you put that in!? :lol:

Not to derail your thread, but tell me about this "Control State" thing. I've seen that mentioned before. Seems like I saw something about some state-owned liquor stores too.

Edit: ps Welcome to TC oysterschnapps!

Anything worth doing, is worth doing to the point of wretched excess.

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2008-08-19 21:15 ]

OK, I just tried a Jet Pilot. Not bad! As one would expect, it has many of the same flavors as the 1934 Zombie, but the omitting the grenadine and boosting the cinnamon syrup moves the emphasis from the fruit juices to the spices of the various ingredients, which makes a surprisingly different drink. This one will definitely go on my short list.

On 2008-08-19 21:14, MadDogMike wrote:
"Oyster Schnapps"? What kind of cocktail would you put that in!? :lol:

It doesn't exist, I hope. Seafood-flavored cordials probably wouldn't mix well anyway.

Not to derail your thread, but tell me about this "Control State" thing. I've seen that mentioned before. Seems like I saw something about some state-owned liquor stores too.

I think it's something of an anachronism to you west-coasters, just a relic from when Prohibition was rescinded. It means the state government controls the retail sale of liquor, either through control of the wholesale market and micromanagement of the pricing and selection of private liquor stores, or through complete state ownership of all liquor stores. Pennsylvania is one of the worst states for this--all wine and liquor must be sold through the state-owned liquor stores, direct shipping to consumers is prohibited, and bringing beer, wine or liquor into Pennsylvania from another state, even just for personal use, is a criminal offense. Taken together, this means that anything not in the PLCB's catalog is illegal to own. This includes St. James, El Dorado, Lemon Hart 80, Coruba, Old New Orleans, Matusalem Gran Reserva, aquavit, Plymouth Sloe Gin...the list goes on. Lawmakers in Pennsylvania have tried a number of times to privatize everything, but the state employee's union, which represents 3600 overpaid liquor store clerks, is far more powerful than the handful of wine collectors who show up to protest the existing system.

Edit: ps Welcome to TC oysterschnapps!

Thanks!

Hi oysterschnapps

If you haven't tried it yet, go to http://www.swankpad.org/drinks/grogalizer/

Swanky has created this device for situations just like yours. Just check the boxes for any and all ingredients you currently have and it will tell you what drinks you can make (from the Bum's books) with what you have on hand. It includes liquors, mixers, you name it. It's easy to use and there's a score board too - so, you can see how other people ranked that drink and what remarks they have about it.

We use it at home all the time - it's become sort of a game, to go through and try as many recipes as possible and then see what score he thinks a drink should have compared to what I think it should get!

Also, I highly recommend the 151 Swizzle! Although, I leave the drink mixin' up to Swanky so I have no idea what's in that one except 151 and a cinnamon stick...

Thanks for the pointer Ms. Swanky! I was considering putting together a similar database so I'm glad somebody else has done the work already! I'll start feeding in my notes on the forty or so drinks I've tried so far, and see what the site can find for me that I haven't made yet.

Well, since it's not October yet and I haven't made a batch of pumpkin pie spice syrup yet, I threw caution to the wind and substituted my homemade cinnamon syrup for it in Thayer's Voodoo Priestess recipe. Hmmmmm... not bad at all. The cinnamon definitely works with the vanilla and the orange. Sorta Nui Nui-like. Give it a try.

Don's Barrel of Rum also uses the syrup, and is also one of the best of the best drinks...

On 2008-08-22 05:47, Swanky wrote:
Don's Barrel of Rum also uses the syrup, and is also one of the best of the best drinks...

Really? You think so? I haven't been all that thrilled with the rum barrel recipes. Too much citrus for me. Maybe I'll try that one again.

On 2008-08-22 09:09, GatorRob wrote:

On 2008-08-22 05:47, Swanky wrote:
Don's Barrel of Rum also uses the syrup, and is also one of the best of the best drinks...

Really? You think so? I haven't been all that thrilled with the rum barrel recipes. Too much citrus for me. Maybe I'll try that one again.

I loved it, but I was begining to think it was a joke recipe after I pulled every damn ingredient there is out of the cabinet and poured a tiny tiny amount of it... As usual, make at least a double batch. If you don't actually taste everything, by the end, you are sure you did, and then you take a nap...

Speaking of cinnamon-infused syrup, I just bought a bottle of Starbucks Dolce cinnamon syrup - The Bum referenced Starbucks in Sippin' Safari. I was wondering if anyone else has tried this vs the homemade version. I immediately made the Donga punch, '34 Zombie, Tropical Itch and the Jet Pilot. I felt that, even as part of Don's mix, the cinnamon flavor was really prominent - not overly spicy as there is ample sugar in the syrup, but definitely omnipresent. Anyway, just looking for feedback on Starbucks vs the homemade stuff. To the other posters in PA, its definitely worth it to get the martinique rum, if not for these drinks, for many others. Although, except for the Tropical Itch (bourbon flavor came through too much), the other drinks - '34 Zombie, Jet Pilot, Donga punch - were well worth making.

tfj

As mentioned in this previous post, the Bum now says to avoid the Starbucks cinnamon syrup: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=26890&forum=10&vpost=353594&hilite=Beachbum%20Berry

tfj,

I tried going the commercial route for cinnamon syrup as well, but there's nothing inexpensive that's suitable for tiki drinks. Making it yourself per the Bum's instructions is almost as easy as making simple syrup, so I felt kind of dumb for not trying it first. Break up three cinnamon sticks (you want pieces that are too large to fit through your sieve, so pieces between the size of matchsticks and ball bearings are best), then throw them in a small saucepan with a cup of water and a cup of sugar. Bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar, cover, simmer for two minutes, turn the heat off, wait four hours, then pour the syrup through a sieve into an empty 500-ml soda bottle or mason jar. Approximate cost: less than $2 for 12 oz of syrup.

BTW, I totally agree about the Martinique rum. Drinks that require it just can't be made properly without it. I need to see how the Clement VSOP compares to the St. James Hors d'Age, though, since the former seems to be much easier to get here.

Wow! I love cinnamon syrup, but I’ve never tried actually making it myself. How exactly did you do that? Anyhow, I find cinnamon really works well with any kinds of hot drinks, be it hot chocolate, coffee or even tea (yes it works!!).. also, you could try adding it randomly when you bake something, my mom used to put some in apple pie and it would taste deliciously good. Have fun experimenting, and put your cinnamon syrup to good use !

Cinnamon syrup is also nice mixed with mineral water about 1 part to 5 parts bubbly water.
It made me realize how much cinnamon flavor might be in a cola beverage.
It's also a nice addition to apple cider hard or not.

Best
Mark

You are correct there is cinnamon flavor in cola.

Cola flavor is cinnamon, vanilla, acid and sweetener.

Coke uses phosphoric acid and Pepsi uses citric acid.

"Sippin' Safari" has the recipe to make cinnamon syrup...it's pretty easy to make. There's another thread here somewhere about the best type of cinnamon sticks to use for it.

There's some cinnamon info in this post. If you're looking to use the quills as swizzle sticks, then cassia is your best bet. If you want to make anything, where cinnamon flavor and consumption is the goal then Ceylon cinnamon is a must.