What is the best commercial Cinnamon Syrup?

Is any of the commercial Cinnamon Syrup on the market any good? I have made it several times myself so I don't need a lecture or a recipe. Sometimes you just run out and don't feel like cooking some up and waiting for it to cool.

I have seen Trader Tiki's for sale online but can't see anywhere to buy it or his site or online. And the fact that it had vanilla in it made me hesitate.

I have heard the Sonama Syrups Cinnamon Syrup is excellent but only one person sells it online and its $13.00 plus postage for a small bottle. Does anyone know of a source?

And finally as an employee of Peet's, I am hesitant to ask this but is the Starbucks cinnamon syrup any good?

I find Trader Tiki's very good !

http://www.tradertiki.com/where-to-buy/
On his website, apparently, it says you can order through Barproducts.com, Cocktail Kingdom or The boston Shaker websites.

[ Edited by: virani 2011-06-02 00:58 ]

I can vouch for Trader Tiki as well. I've made cinamon syrup myself too, very easy, but I know what you mean. While I'm at it, their Don's Mix is good too. Their orgeat, not so much, too mild I think.

Sonoma is pretty good. I made my own and liked it just a tad bit more. If I remember right, Torani and Starbucks are not preferred. Check your local Whole Foods and see if they can get it. Our BevMo has other Sonoma Syrups occasionally. Then again, we're right down the road from where they make it.

Do you have a copy of Sippin' Safari?

[ Edited by: jingleheimerschmidt 2011-06-02 09:45 ]

I bought a DaVinci gourmet cinnamon syrup I am yet to try. Hope it's good. Will post here if I try it out.

I have tried many and have found Trader Tiki's to be the best on the market. Really well balanced and very tasty.

Hi SuperEight,

yeah, the vanilla addition was a text-only fluke. I'll update that on the site, though it's going to be awhile before it's no longer on the labels.

You can't order from TraderTiki.com anymore, but please visit my new tropical drinks shop, http://OKOLEMALUNA.COM. I'm expanding the website beyond the syrups, and will be selling glassware, mugs, straws and more for the tropical imbiber.

Oh, and I wanted to add: The cinnamon is used by Jeff "Beachbum" Berry and Martin Cate during their tropical drink demonstrations, and is formulated from my years of experience making syrups for tropical drinks at home. My syrup was made very specifically for the application of tropical drinks, and if I can say so myself, works DANDY. Some may be cheaper, some may be organic (it's a very, very expensive certification to get), but damnit, if you're making a tiki drink, choose Trader Tiki (soon to be relabeled as B.G. Reynolds').

Cheers!

--edited to rant

http://OKOLEMALUNA.COM
Exotic Syrups for Tropical Mixology!

[ Edited by: Trader Tiki 2011-06-02 16:30 ]

I have always been a fan of the Sonoma syrup but the last order I got had an odd taste, can't tell if they changed the formula or a bad batch.

Hi Trader Tiki,
I found some of your syrups at Cask in San Francisco near the Montgomery St. Bart station. I don't know if they carry the cinnamon syrup though. I bought your orgeat and Don's Mix there. I haven't tried the Don's Mix yet but think the orgeat is very good.

does anyone happen to have link to the prevailing home recipe (sorry, couldnt tell from multitude of search results).

I've been happy with my formulation of 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon to 2 oz rock candy syrup, but wonder if it ought to be spicier.

Trader Tiki it is such a relief to hear there is no vanilla in your cinnamon syrup. You know how crazy some Tiki folks can get about their drinks and I have to admit I didn't want to try any of your syrups when I saw that there was vanilla in it. No vanilla was all I had to hear in order to give it a shot.

[ Edited by: SuperEight 2011-06-03 01:10 ]

Trader Tiki's is bar none the BEST cinnamon syrup that I've ever used.

I was unimpressed with the Sonoma brand, seemed a bit weak in the final analysis.

Monin (I think it was Monin, the label is gone now) was pretty decent, but tasted a little waxy.

Trader Tiki has, by far, the best bottle you can buy.

On 2011-06-02 21:20, thePorpoise wrote:
does anyone happen to have link to the prevailing home recipe...

If your going to make your own, and have about a week or so, I have been very happy with this recipe:

1:1 simple syrup, about 3 cups should get you going.
1 ounce-ish overproof white rum (not a critical measure, more is ok, less not so much)
five or more large cinnamon sticks.
A bottle that you can seal very tightly

Put the cinnamon sticks in the bottle.
Pour your hot simple syrup into the bottle. Add enough to cover the cinnamon sticks completely.
Allow it to cool to room temperature then add your overproof rum and cap/seal tightly.
Shake it every day for a week until you get a good color.
After four or five days, start sampling.

The flavor will peak out in about a week or so, the color will continue to develop for as long as you have the bottle.

It will keep under your bar for about a month, and in the fridge for about 6 months.

The best part of doing your own is when you get the bottle about half empty you can add more hot simple syrup to refill it and 'recharge' the flavor. You'll have to do a bit of math on the refills because you need to add enough alcohol to keep it in the 25 to 30% ABV range to keep it shelf stable.

Porpoise, there has been some debate over the two types of cinnamon available. Cassia cinnamon is thick and each stick will have only one or two layers. This is the cinnamon you are most likely to find in the spice section of your supermartket. Cassia is stronger and spicier. Ceylon cinnamon has multiple thin layers, I usually find it in the Mexican food section in sealed bags rather than spice bottles. Ceylon cinnamon is more subtle and complex. I had read that Ceylon cinnamon is more suited to drinks, what's your take on this Chip?

I've always thought its all Indonesian in the US, incl. the Badia et al latin brands, unless labelled Saigon or Ceylon.

Not a great picture but you can see the difference. I haven't had any trouble finding both.

On 2011-06-04 18:48, MadDogMike wrote:

Not a great picture but you can see the difference. I haven't had any trouble finding both.

Neither type is hard to find, unless your looking specifically for it, then you can only find the one your not looking for.

The Ceylon has a much thinner, almost papery finish to the bark. This works well for making your own cinnamon powder because you can run it through a coffee or spice grinder. It does not, however, make for good cinnamon syrup. It is less durable when doing a long steep process, it tends to break down and cloud up your mix.

As to which make the better flavor? I have always been a fan of the spicier, sharper Cassia. When you consider that most drinks are using a small measure of cinnamon it seems a good idea to have that cinnamon have as much oomph as possible at the small measures.

As with anything else bar related.... your mileage may vary.

Is this picture any better?

Ceylon, made from the thinner inner bark on the left. Korintje, or Indonesian cinnamon, which uses a thicker slice of the bark on the right.

based on those photos, not sure i've ever seen ceylon cinnamon sticks at any of my groceries.

but, i usually make my syrup from regular ground cinnamon, on an as needed basis for immediate use, in portions of two oz or so.

Because of this thread, i was inspired to make my own cinnamon syrup. I used the directions from BBB's Remixed. Pretty easy.

Because of this thread, i was inspired to make my own cinnamon syrup. I used the directions from BBB's Remixed. Pretty easy.

Is cinnamon syrup supposed to be thick?

I used these 2 recipes as my guides, and the stuff I ended up with is no thicker than wine!

For standard simple syrup, I've read that you bring it to a boil before simmering? Is that what I did wrong here since I just brought it to a simmer?

http://5minutesofrum.com/episodes/2013/11/22/episode-16-zaya-rum
3 cinnamon sticks (ceylon if available)
2 cups sugar
1 cup water

Break up cinnamon sticks into small pieces. Combine with sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, heat until sugar dissolves. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, leave covered. Let sit for 2 hours. Strain through metal strainer or cheesecloth. Pour into syrup bottle and add 0.5 oz light rum to help stabilize. Store in refrigerator.

http://www.homebarbasics.com/syrups/
In a saucepan over medium heat, lightly toast 3 cinnamon sticks, crushed lightly to expose more surface area to the heat. Crush again, but don’t pulverize. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups water, then simmer 10 minutes, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cool & let steep two hours, then double-strain through a couple layers of dampened cheesecloth into an airtight container. Keep refrigerated. Will last about two months.

Aloha!

You will get a thinner syrup with a 1:1 sugar to wear ratio, though it should be thicker than wine. :) When I make cinnamon syrup I'm obviously following the 5 Minutes of Rum recipe (obviously) and I find it to be about as thick as maple syrup when done, and less thick than B.G. Reynolds syrup. I generally try to avoid getting to a full boil when making syrups.

Maybe try experimenting with the sugar to water ratio, but in smaller batches until you find the balance you're looking for. Incidentally, the syrup will tighten up once refrigerated.

kevin

I saw some roasted cinnamon in the store the other day, my mind starting swirling and I thought of smoked cinnamon syrup. Throw some whole cinnamon sticks in the smoker before making syrup. It would make an interesting flavor profile but I'm not sure what kind of "Tiki" drinks it would go in?

Jet Pilot, perhaps? Or a Rum Old Fashioned with some black walnut bitters.

Sounds like it might give a unique twist to a pineapple daiquiri? I suspect the smoke would pair with the pineapple nicely. I'd be very interested to hear what a smoked cinnamon syrup tastes like.

Smoked Cinnamon & Pineapple Daiquiri
1.5oz Stiggins Fancy Pineapple Rum,
1oz Lime
1/2oz smoked cinnamon syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a couple glass.

Mmmm too early in the morning to be this thirsty :)

On 2017-02-14 02:58, Scaramouch wrote:

Mmmm too early in the morning to be this thirsty :)

That's what coffee grogs are for!

I used to joke that "as long as McDonald's has stopped serving breakfast, it's okay to start drinking"...but then they started serving breakfast all day. Obviously all bets are off now.

Great suggestions! That Pineapple Daiquiri would go well with a grilled pineapple garnish for a visual tie-in to the smoke. Now I need to find an excuse to fire up the smoker. I feel Smoked Pork and Smokey Pineapple Daiquiris coming on! :D

In a pinch, I get a bottle of Cinnamon Dulce Syrup from Starbucks. I think it's about $10, and it's shelf stable. Cinnamon flavor is okay, but it's a little on the sweet side. Works great if you're just using a little bit in your drink.