Welcome to the syrup that turned my picky-eater son from a grapefruit hater to a grapefruit lover. “Dad! Grapefruit is my favorite fruit of all time!” No joke. All it took was a bit of this drizzled on his grapefruit.
This grapefruit syrup has a great sweet and tangy punch and is delicious with everything: in tea, on fruit salad and vanilla ice cream, in cocktails, as a grilled fish glaze, and more. Most recently, I created a cocktail recipe using it, a fizzy vodka grapefruit concoction called a Bubbly Greyhound that is utterly delicious and refreshing.
I’ve made this syrup with pink grapefruit and got that lovely color, but any grapefruit will do, and franky, you can just use this exact recipe to make a delicious syrup from ANY citrus.
In the refrigerator it will keep for 6-9 months or longer.
You will need: small saucepan, wooden spoon, fine mesh strainer, vegetable/cheese grater (for zesting, can be skipped if unavailable); measuring cup; citrus juicer (if making fresh-squeezed); storage bottle (one of these 8 oz glass sauce bottles are the perfect size for one batch); sauce funnel if using a small sauce bottle
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of grapefruit juice (bottled or fresh-squeezed; if squeezed, it typically requires 2 grapefruits)
- 1 cup of granulated sugar (or equal proportions to however much grapefruit juice is used)
- 1-2 TBSP grapefruit zest (suggested)
Directions:
1.) Juice the grapefruits and strain through a fine mesh strainer several times, until all pulp and debris has been separated out.
2.) Zest the grapefruit for 1-2 TBSP, to taste.
3.) Combine the zest, juice, and sugar in saucepan and set to medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring regularly.
4.) Reduce heat to low. Due to the small quantity of liquid in a single batch, even on low heat you may notice a slow boil. This is fine. Continue stirring periodically.
5.) After 15-20 minutes, the syrup is complete. Even if the mix seems a bit thin or watery, note that it will thicken as it cools in the refrigerator.
6.) Using the strainer, remove the zest (keeping it will result in bitter flavors and chunky texture). Once cooled ( waiting around 30 minutes), transfer the syrup to a container or sauce bottle. (Use the funnel for a sauce bottle.) Keep refrigerated.
Here’s a video tutorial to make this syrup on my YouTube channel (please subscribe for all my newest content!):
