Sirop de Gomme

Topic created by Babe
on Tue, 6 Jan 2009 at 10:50

Babe said on Tue, 6 Jan 2009 at 10:50...

Hi absinthe lovers! Can anyone tell me how to make Sirop de Gomme? I read that this syrup that was added to absinthe before the absinthe spoon was invented. Is that right? Babe.

ty9 said on Tue, 6 Jan 2009 at 19:17...

20lbs of best clear white gum arabic dissolved in 4 gallons of water nearly boiling hot; take 60lbs of sugar,melt and clarify it with 1 gallon of water; add the gum solution, and boil for 2 minutes. That is a whole lot of syrup! You might want to change the quantities :-) but it is the traditional recipe.

Old Nick said on Wed, 7 Jan 2009 at 15:20...

I think it was used before the sugar cube was invented, yes. Before those handy sugar cubes there were sugar loaves, which were cut up like loaves of bread. You can buy it as well, I think it is made in Samur, France.

Rhonan said on Wed, 2 Sep 2009 at 21:15...

Sirop de gomme aka gum syrup is nothing more than simple syrup with gum arabic added. It was used quite a bit before Prohibition. After repeal, most bar owners figured simple syrup was good enough, so gum syrup pretty much disappeared. Those of us into classic cocktails are starting to resurrect it, because simple syrup and gum syrup are actually very different in a cocktail. Gum arabic is an emulsifier, and adds a silky mouth feel to any drink. Another benefit from gum arabic is that will keep super-saturated syrups from crystallizing.

A more practical recipe is the one I used for a batch yesterday. In a large sauce pan, bring 1 & 1/2 cups filtered water to a boil. remove from the heat and add 3 cups of refined cane sugar, use the best quality you can find. Stir constantly with a whisk to dissolve. Once the sugar is dissolved, keep stirring and slowly add 1/2 food grade powdered gum arabic. Make sure you stir constantly to avoid lumps. Now bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly and skimming any scum from the pot. Once it has boiled for two minutes, remove from heat and cool. Once it has cooled, filter through cheese cloth, bottle in a sterile bottle, and store in the refrigerator. This should make about 750ml of syrup. If you are planning on using it all up that day, you can skip the 2 minute boil, but if you expect to use the syrup over time, make sure you boil it that the container it is stored in is sterile. This will make sure there is no bacteria in it.

shweri said on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 at 11:18...

You said add 1/2 food grade powdered gum
arabic -- did you mean 1/2 cup? don't want to try that in case you meant 1/2 a teaspoon! thanks for the recipe!