Vintage American Cocktails

The History Of Raspberry Syrup For Cocktails.

Raspberry syrup is one of the oldest red fruit syrups for cocktails. Raspberry syrup, along with strawberry syrup, was being used regularly when the first actual cocktail book, Jerry Thomas’s Bartenders guide, was published in 1862. Raspberry syrup stayed a popular cocktail syrup in the United States till about the 1910s, when grenadine, pomegranate syrup, took over much of its role. Grenadine, or Rob-e-anar as it is called in Persian, made its way through Europe during the later part of the 1800s from Persia, where it is an ingredient in some traditional dishes. Raspberry syrup still retained some users in America, but grenadine became very popular in Europe and replaced raspberry syrup in many recipes. Comparing cocktails recipes between the US, England, and France shows how the European versions changed. The clover club in the United States calls for raspberry syrup, but they use grenadine in the Savoy cocktail book. Same for the rose, and in the East India cocktail, all syrup is removed entirely. A few new recipes that came out after the 1910s used raspberry syrup but its importance and prevalence were greatly diminished.

Should I Buy Raspberry Syrup Or Make It At Home?

Always make your own syrups unless it’s gum syrup, tonic syrup, or orgeat. Gum and orgeat you can make; it is just a pain in the butt and tonic I would never make from scratch. Raspberry simple syrup is super easy to make, is cheap to make too, results in a much better product, and is hard to find. You can find it as a syrup for waffles and such, but those do not taste that good and are too thick.

This is super easy to make and takes no more than 10 minutes. Simmer 2 cups (240g) of sugar, 1 cup (120mls) of water, and 1 cup (120g) of raspberries together for 10 minutes, strain, and you’re done!