Orange Blossom Syrup
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| water · plus a little extra to top up after filtering | 120 ml |
| dried culinary bitter-orange blossoms (bahar narenj) | 1 tbsp (about 2 g) |
| white sugar | 150 g |
Equipment: small saucepan with lid, fine sieve and paper coffee filter, kitchen scale and measuring jug, clean glass bottle with lid.
About this syrup
In Persian, bahar means spring, and bahar narenj is the blossom of the bitter orange tree. In Shiraz, where the streets and old gardens are lined with narenj trees, the whole city smells of it around Nowruz, and the scent has become the emblem of a Shirazi spring. In Mazandaran’s orange groves the blossoms are celebrated too.
Iranians dry the blossoms for a fragrant tea, cook them into morabba-ye bahar narenj (blossom jam) and distil them into araq-e bahar narenj. This syrup captures the dried blossom: honeyed, citrusy and floral, with the faint bitterness that makes it elegant rather than perfumey.
How to make it
- Bring the water just to the boil, then take it off the heat.
- Add the blossoms, cover, and steep for 5 minutes. Taste; if it’s still faint, steep up to 10 minutes, no longer.
- Strain through a fine sieve, then a pre-wetted paper coffee filter.
- Top the liquid back up to 120 ml with water.
- Add the sugar and warm gently, stirring, until dissolved.
- Cool, bottle, label with the date, and refrigerate.
Yield and storage
- Makes about 210 ml.
- Keep refrigerated and use within 1–2 weeks (provisional).
Tips and troubleshooting
- Bitter syrup: the blossoms steeped too long. Orange blossom turns bitter fast.
- Weak aroma: older blossoms fade. Use fresher ones, or add a few drops of orange-blossom water after cooling.
- Culinary blossoms only, bought for food or tea.
- Orange-blossom waters vary hugely in strength: Persian araq is usually gentler than many Lebanese or French versions. Always add by the drop and record the brand.
Different concepts of this syrup
1. Dried blossom syrup
The recipe above. The house standard.
2. Orange-blossom-water version
Make plain syrup (150 g sugar in 120 ml water), cool, and add culinary orange-blossom water ¼ teaspoon at a time, tasting between additions. Quick and bright; strength depends entirely on the brand.
3. Blossom tea syrup — chay-e bahar narenj
Steep 2 g black tea with the blossoms for 3 minutes. The way Shirazis drink it in spring, as a syrup.
4. Blossom and saffron
Add a small pinch of bloomed saffron to the finished syrup. Gold and floral, for celebration drinks.
5. Fresh-blossom syrup, in season
Where bitter-orange trees grow, steep a small handful of fresh, unsprayed blossoms off the heat for 15 minutes. The most fragrant version of all.
6. Beyond cocktails
- Spring sharbat: 30 ml syrup, a squeeze of lime, cold water and ice.
- Sweeten black tea, or drizzle over saffron rice pudding.
Allergen note
No common allergens.
Development notes
- Status: draft recipe, not yet taste-tested.
- Confirm the owner’s blossoms are dried and culinary grade; weigh them.
- Test 5- versus 10-minute steeping.