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One of the commenters on one of Luninosity's "Collected Ficlets" mentioned not having access to pumpkin spice syrup for getting a taste of her characters' flavored coffee habits.
Dry pumpkin spice mix
As it turns out, pumpkin spice syrup is pretty easy to make at home. Pumpkin spice mixes don't include pumpkin flavor itself; it's specifically the spices that get added to pumpkin in order to make pumpkin pie.
The spices involved usually include some combination of:
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Clove
- Allspice
So here's a decent dry starter pumpkin spice mix to work from when making your own pumpkin spice syrup:
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground (dry) ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- (Opt) 1/2 tsp ground allspice
Stir them together and keep them on hand for flavoring the syrup with.
Simple syrup (unflavored to start)
The next step is making simple syrup (called that because it's pretty simple to make). The size of the "part" depends on how much you want to make at a time. I'd recommend at least a quarter cup "part", because if you try to do it a teaspoon at a time it'll be hard to get flavored and you may accidentally get it too hot and make caramel. Half-cups or cups are also good options.
- 1 part water
- 2 parts sugar
(white sugar turns clear; brown sugar turns clear brown, like a glass bottle, and tastes like molasses.)
When the syrup comes to a boil, the sugar melts in and turns clear. When it's nice and clear, it's ready to flavor and/or cool off.
Flavoring the simple syrup
If you have dry or solid flavorings, you'll want to heat them in the syrup. If you have liquid flavorings, you'll want to add them after the syrup is cool.
- Pumpkin spice syrup: While your simple syrup is heating up and cooking clear, add a teaspoon or two of your spice mix. Stir and let the spices cook in. Taste test carefully (putting a few drops in a bit of milk will give you the idea). If you'd like it stronger, add more spice mix. Cool it off and keep any unused portion in the refrigerator.
-
Chai spice syrup: Take some of your dry pumpkin spice mix; add 1/4 tsp ground cardamom and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Cook it into your simple syrup as above, taste test, and cool.
- Rose, orange blossom, almond, or other liquid flavoring syrup: Make your simple syrup unflavored and cool it down. For each 1/4 cup cool simple syrup, start with 1/8 tsp liquid flavoring and adjust to your preference (basically, add a couple drops at a time).
Beverage options
Luni's characters love their sweet coffee. I can't drink coffee myself, but you can put the same flavored syrups into either hot frothed milk or hot milky tea for a similar effect. You can get tiny battery-powered stick blenders from Amazon or Ikea for about $4; one of those will turn a glass of milk frothy, quite like the fancy steam-powered machines at coffee shops.
Brew, sip, browse, and enjoy!