The perils of passion fruit

I set out on what I figured was a simple task: purchase a bottle of passion fruit syrup in the Boulder, Colorado area. Initially my goal was to find some that had natural flavors and no HFCS. Eventually my goal became to find someone who even knew what passion fruit was. I tried liquor stores, specialty stores, pharmacies (Torani's website said Pharmaca carried it--Pharmaca didn't even know what Torani's was).

I know I can buy it online, but I wanted a local source. I mix drinks very infrequently (maybe one or two drinks a week), and spending $20 for a bottle of syrup on the Internet knowing most of it would likely go bad before I could finish it was something I wanted to avoid. Luckily, we have a large Asian market nearby, and they carried "Passion Juice," a passion fruit syrup made out of nothing but passion fruit juice and sugar. I haven't had a chance to try it, but I don't have anything to compare it to anyway.

I though about buying from TraderTiki, as the syrups that I've tried from them are wonderful, but cost combined with shelf life took them out of the running for me. :(

I'm tempted to open a specialty store in Boulder that caters to liquor snobs. God knows we're in the area for it, and we apparently need one.

[ Edited by: TikiTacky 2011-01-16 10:53 ]

[ Edited by: TikiTacky 2011-01-16 10:54 ]

Tacky, I found frozen passion fruit puree at my local Hispanic grocery. I boiled it with sugar water and strained it through a coffee filter to clear it up a bit. Turned out pretty good - inexpensive and you get to control the ingredients

Welch's makes some passion fruit juice that you can find at the store, if you don't mind using a commercially made juice.

How 'bout order a bottle through a coffee shop. Find one that uses Monin syrups.

On 2011-01-16 11:04, MadDogMike wrote:
Tacky, I found frozen passion fruit puree at my local Hispanic grocery. I boiled it with sugar water and strained it through a coffee filter to clear it up a bit. Turned out pretty good - inexpensive and you get to control the ingredients

+1 Don't know how many Mexican stores are located in Boulder, but the brand Goya carries a frozen passion fruit that is really good. I mix 1:1 with sugar and toss in a jigger of vodka for a preservative. Tastes great and lasts a long time. I haven't found anything better.

I believe Goa was the brand I used also (a bit off topic, but I bought a couple bottles last week of Goya Coconut Soda - interesting :D )

Whelp, I'm firing this thread back up because my source for real passion fruit syrup locally has stopped carrying it. I know I can buy the real stuff online, but it ends up going bad before I can finish it, and when I add shipping costs it gets expensive in a hurry. :(

I've called every local store I can think of and no one carries the juice, nectar, fruit, or anything else. Looks like it may be Monin syrup for me. Is the new stuff really that bad?

[ Edited by: TikiTacky 2013-04-28 14:41 ]

Do you have asian grocery stores in town? I'm using this stuff,

all I can read on label is Passion Juice, on the back it says ingredients are Passion fruit juice and sugar, dilute 6 parts H2O to one part juice. I'd like someone else's thoughts on this stuff.

aloha, tikicoma

That looks similar to what I bought before, but no one around here carries it anymore. I'm starting to wonder whether there's still such a thing as the wild passion fruit.

I use frozen passion fruit puree (Sicoly). It holds for a long time in the freezer. I just cut a chunk off when I need to make a batch of syrup. It's available online from Qzina for ~$11.00/kg (which makes a LOT of syrup). They do free shipping on orders over $100. I'm not sure how much it is for smaller orders.

I've had great success using the Goya purée. I make sure it's a little warm then filter it through cheese cloth into a pot. The process is a little messy and takes time since the sediment will try to clog things up a bit. Keep stirring it around to keep it draining. Then add the sugar to make a syrup. As mentioned earlier in the thread.. add an ounce of vodka to keep it stable. I would freeze some of it unless your going to really fly through some 1950 Zombies.

Enjoy!

Some East Indian / Asian markets carry MD Passion Fruit Cordial which is pretty good.

Here in Florida, you can find the passionfruit puree at almost all grocery stores. Check in the frozen food section, usually in the "Hispanic foods" section. Make a syrup out of it and it lasts a good long time and is infinitely better than any store bought stuff.

Can someone post a recipe on making a syrup with the puree?

Hey, I'm unclear if you add the Goya puree to a simple syrup(half sugar, half water), or just with sugar alone? Also heat till boiling? Steep? Thanks in advance, I've got some in the fridge. I've used Finest Call Passion fruit syrup but I don't like it as much as Trader Vic's (back when it actually had passion fruit in it)

Tried calling the local Asian and Indian markets, and they didn't have any passion fruit of any type. One suggested I try Monin syrup. :(

I also tried calling the local Mexican market, but I don't speak Spanush and whoever answered didn't speak English. I can try dropping in, but the Yelp reviews indicate their selection is limited. I guess I need to stop being a cheapskate and order some online.

man, there's gotta be some kind of passionfruit (en espanol, "maracuya") juice, nectar, or frozen pulp at your mexicna/latin store. it's pretty common at most.

re syrup- i mix half thawed pulp, with half simple syrup.

I gave in and ordered it from BG Reynolds. I ordered two small bottles with the hope I can stick one in the fridge or freezer to preserve it. An added bonus is that my money is supporting a valuable member of the tiki community. :wink:

I ordered some falernum and a copy of Beachbum Berry Remixed to reduce the sting of the shipping. The biggest bummer is that I had ordered some other syrups from him less than a week ago, and if I'd realized at the time I wouldn't be able to get the passion fruit anywhere, I could have gotten it then.

First-world problems for sure! :wink:

My local grocery stores stock frozen mango and passion fruit puree, plus a couple other purees that I've never heard of. Rewards await those who explore the ethnic food freezer!

I have to date avoided any use of the Goya products, though. As I recall they had a lot of high fructose corn syrup (low "real ingredient" content) or something like that which made them unappealing for mixing into high-quality drinks.

I do have home-made mango pulp standing by in my freezer. I could be wrong, but I think that pretty much EVERY place occasionally gets fresh mangoes shipped in.

I usually mix equal parts by volume of sugar, water and passionfruit puree. Bring it to a boil slowly. Let it cool and bottle it. I go through it so quickly that I've never had problems with spoilage, but if you are concerned, add some vodka or silver rum to the mix.

We have a whole bunch of different nectars at our grocery stores down here in Fla. Never had much of a chance to play with them since I usually have pretty good access to the fresh stuff, but I would be interested to hear if anybody has had any experience with them. Might be a good "just in case" ingredient to keep behind the bar.

Thanks for the heads up, THB! I've been needing to make passion fruit syrup for awhile, and this thread lit a match under my arse.

For what it's worth, I got a chance to go to the local Mexican market and they had no passion.

I allow the frozen pulp to thaw and then mix it with an equal amount (by volume) of simple syrup. I do not boil it, I simply bottle it. By not boiling the pulp and sugar syrup I feel that I get a fresher tasting passion fruit syrup.

I bet you feel more like you do now now than you did when you came in.

GENT

[ Edited by: GentleHangman 2013-04-30 16:30 ]

On 2013-04-30 16:30, GentleHangman wrote:
I allow the frozen pulp to thaw and then mix it with an equal amount (by volume) of simple syrup. I do not boil it, I simply bottle it. By not boiling the pulp and sugar syrup I feel that I get a fresher tasting passion fruit syrup.

That's exactly how I make mine. I don't worry about shelf life. I make it in smaller amounts and if I don't use it as fast as I think I need to, I just mix it with some soda water and a bit of lime and drink it. No waste that way.

Thanks for the answers!

http://www.auntylilikoi.com/

They make great juice and syrup, the juice goes bad fast so use it all shortly after opening

The syrup lasts forever in the fridge

On 2013-04-30 08:08, TikiTacky wrote:
I gave in and ordered it from BG Reynolds. I ordered two small bottles with the hope I can stick one in the fridge or freezer to preserve it. An added bonus is that my money is supporting a valuable member of the tiki community. :wink:

Yeah, thankfully I'm lucky to live in Portland and be able to drive to Blair's place, drink a cocktail, and pick it up in person. I haven't found a retail syrup that comes close to his yet.

[ Edited by: karmalaundry 2013-05-22 22:12 ]

On 2013-05-13 16:40, Dapuma1 wrote:
http://www.auntylilikoi.com/

They make great juice and syrup, the juice goes bad fast so use it all shortly after opening

The syrup lasts forever in the fridge

This is the only stuff I use. Order 6 bottles and it'll come in one box. Smaller bottles makes it easy to put in the fridge and keep your backstock on the shelf. The bottles are about th esize of a Starbucks small frappaccino. The best quality.

BG has good products but the shipping costs are crazy.

Ceres makes 100% passion fruit juice. You can find it at Whole Foods Market and Wal-Mart out here in California.
Whole Foods Market, which you do have in Boulder, would be my first stop for looking for the stuff.

I checked every store I could think of: Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, Safeway, King Soopers, all the ethnic markets. There was no passion fruit of any kind, anywhere. Not even Monin syrup. Apparently we're a passionless society.

On 2013-05-24 12:58, TikiTacky wrote:
I checked every store I could think of: Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, Safeway, King Soopers, all the ethnic markets. There was no passion fruit of any kind, anywhere. Not even Monin syrup. Apparently we're a passionless society.

It must be a regional ingredient. I can find the juice and the fruit out here. If you ask a grocery store to carry it they might. I'm surprised at what Target has started carrying after I asked.

According to the Los Angeles Times a passion fruit vine will grow like a weed out here once it gets established. They have very beautiful and alien looking flowers.
It would add a very tropical element to a garden if you can control its growth.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2012/05/passion-fruit.html

On 2013-05-24 10:07, tikilongbeach wrote:
Ceres makes 100% passion fruit juice. You can find it at Whole Foods Market and Wal-Mart out here in California.

my grocery carries Ceres- however, pretty sure all their products are juice blends...

still surprised no Goya frozen pulp in the frozen fruit/juice or frozen ethnic sections at Kroger out there (produced in Colombia)

so-- what is everyone hoping to mix up with their maracuya syrup, anyhow?

On 2013-05-24 13:31, tikilongbeach wrote:
According to the Los Angeles Times a passion fruit vine will grow like a weed out here once it gets established. They have very beautiful and alien looking flowers.
It would add a very tropical element to a garden if you can control its growth.

We had some lilikoi growing out back a few years ago on a trellis hanging from our shed. It went down like this:

1 - Hope I remember to water this stuff
2 - Wow. This is growing really fast!
3 - Flowers!
4 - This is a lot of fruit. And I mean a LOT of fruit.
6 - Where is the shed?!

We eventually ended up tearing down the shed to build a micro-house, and never re-planted the lilikoi. It was nice - but if you don't pick the fruit they rot rather fast.

I know this won't help midwestern folks - but california and florida Tiki Centralites may be able to get one growing.

Henrik "VanTiki"

On 2013-05-25 20:09, thePorpoise wrote:

On 2013-05-24 10:07, tikilongbeach wrote:
Ceres makes 100% passion fruit juice. You can find it at Whole Foods Market and Wal-Mart out here in California.

my grocery carries Ceres- however, pretty sure all their products are juice blends...

You're right! The Ceres passion fruit juice is blended with other fruit juices. I didn't read the label until now.

On 2013-05-27 17:58, thePorpoise wrote:
so-- what is everyone hoping to mix up with their maracuya syrup, anyhow?

A lot of the drinks in Beachbum Berry's books call for passion fruit juice. It's one of the most commonly asked for ingredients.

[ Edited by: TikiTacky 2013-05-28 18:57 ]

I haven't had a use for passion fruit syrup yet but for Hurricanes I use the 12oz cans of Goya passion fruit nectar. I am not sure of whats really in them but they are only $.69 each so if I don't use a whole can its no great loss.

Storm

My quest for Passion Fruit continues with no success. Colorado is officially a Passion Fruit black hole.

Passion fruit nectar is not a substitute for passion fruit syrup. Totally different animal.

On 2013-07-04 11:49, happy buddha wrote:
Passion fruit nectar is not a substitute for passion fruit syrup. Totally different animal.

would you be able to turn it in to Syrup? Kind of like I do to make grenadine with POM juice?

Storm

On 2013-07-04 12:55, stormrider wrote:

On 2013-07-04 11:49, happy buddha wrote:
Passion fruit nectar is not a substitute for passion fruit syrup. Totally different animal.

would you be able to turn it in to Syrup? Kind of like I do to make grenadine with POM juice?

Storm

The problem is that commercial passionfruit nectars and cocktails are already thinned out and chock full of added sweeteners so adding more sugar to make a syrup the way you would with pure juice or fruit isn't going to work well.

Once I found the groceries that carry the frozen pulp homemade passionfruit syrup became a snap. Recently I also found a Mexican commercial passionfruit syrup at the Latin grocery that is very good and only $5 for a 750ml bottle. There are some shelf stabilizers down on the ingredient list but the top three ingredients are passionfruit, water and sugar, with no artificial flavors or colors. I think homemade still works better in drinks that call for large amounts (e.g. The 2 oz of passionfruit syrup in a Grog Log Hurricane), but in amoints of an ounce or less it's as good as anything I have tried.

brand?

If you are out of luck getting any fresh juice, try the Monin's Passion Fruit Syrup
which you can get online if you don't have it in your area.

On 2013-07-04 15:13, thePorpoise wrote:
brand?

Looking at the bottle now. It's labled "Sirop de Parcha Poly" and I was wrong about it's country of origin. It is from PR and the producer is Halcon Baker.

I was also incorrect about there being no artificial coloring, as I see "rojo #40" down on the list of ingredients. No fake flavors though, and agua filtrada, azucar and pulpa de parcha are the first three ingredients.

Very sad that the only Spanish I know comes from food labels.

On 2013-07-04 11:24, stormrider wrote:
I haven't had a use for passion fruit syrup yet but for Hurricanes I use the 12oz cans of Goya passion fruit nectar. I am not sure of whats really in them but they are only $.69 each so if I don't use a whole can its no great loss.

Storm

Happy Buddha is definitely right about passionfruit nectar and syrup being non-interchangeable. As a rough substitution, you'll need to us 4 oz of Goya passionfruit nectar/cocktail in place of the 2 oz of syrup the Hurricane recipe calls for.

Once you do find a passionfruit syrup that holds its own in a Grog Log Hurricane, I have a rum suggestion for you. Rhum Negrita. Mercilessly bashed by Beachbum Berry, this dark, burnt molasses Martinique rhum really can't be beat in a Hurricane once you have a bright/sweet-tart passionfruit syrup that can go toe-to-toe with it. Plus, at around $15 for a liter (at Florida Total Wine and Spirits outlets) it's a real bargain.

Well I made my own syrup from the frozen Goya passion fruit pulp. I have to admit it does taste a lot brighter and more crisp in the drink. Combining that with homemade Pom grenadine made for a much better drink. I had been using the Pat O's version of the recipe. I am going to try the Bum's version next. It seems a lot dryer. I know it will be nothing like any hurricane I have had before but it looks good. I'll make one tonight with bottled lemon juice and try again when I get lemons tomorrow,

Storm

The Bum's version has potential but the bottled lemon juice sucks. I had to add a third of an ounce of grenadine to smooth it out. I will definitely give it a shot with fresh lemons tomorrow. They passion fruit syrup is definitely a keeper though.

Storm