The Makings of Tamarind Syrup

I opted for cold-brewing dried tamarind. I rinsed the pods in water and put them in a jar. Then I topped up with sugar and water and refrigerated overnight.

I gave it a few shakes in the course of its rest, to encourage the sugar dissolve and extract some of the earthy flavour of the tamarind.

The next morning, the liquid had turned a nice brown and had thickened a bit.

I cooked the mixture, two ways. One batch was plain, with additional sugar – tasting to sweeten. 

The end result was a brown liquid – sweet and tart, sour – the essence of tamarind in a bottle.

Batch two was cooked with dried ginger and sugar. 

Both syrups were interesting in cocktails and mocktails. Coming up.