w/o Blackberry, Lime and Anise Syrup
I stumbled upon @schoolnightveganon my Instagram feed a few days ago and was instantly intrigued: the man in the video seemed like a kindred spirit who shared my enthusiasm for flavor. He was boasting about a blackberry syrup that was incredibly addictive — and since the ingredients were all gluten and top allergen free, I decided to give it a shot.
And now I’m equally obsessed.
Full disclosure: I did tweak his recipe a *tiny* bit. We were having a girl’s night and I felt like having a cocktail — so I added a shot of white rum & lime juice to the glass (like he does in the video), and used sparkling water (but otherwise followed the recipe as written).
And to be honest?
The smell was just okay at first, nothing to do cartwheels about.
The first taste was underwhelming.
But then after a few sips…
I couldn’t get enough.
The stuff was like crack on ice. It took serious self-control to nurse the two glasses I had last night — and legit woke up this morning craving more.
Yes, this syrup is THAT good. You seriously have to try it.
I’ve copied the recipe below (with permission) just in case you can’t access the link or it disappears for some reason. But watch the video. Richard Makin is so enthusiastic and such a cutie pie… and I could seriously just listen to him talk all day long.
What is it about English accents???
Blackberry, Lime, & Star Anise Syrup by @schoolnightvegan (Richard Makin)
Ingredients:
450g blackberries (3 cups)
225g sugar (1 cup + 2 tbsp)
100ml water (scant ½ cup)
1 lime
2 star anise
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Method
Place the blackberries, sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Using a potato peeler, remove the zest from the lime in strips and add to the pan along with the juice of the lime, the star anise and the vanilla.
Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the blackberries have released their juices, around 5–7 minutes.
Reduce the heat slightly and simmer gently for 10–12 minutes until the liquid is rich in colour and slightly thickened.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or a nut milk bag set over a heatproof jug or bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
Allow the syrup to cool before transferring to a clean bottle or jar. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If you want the star anise flavour to be more prominent, reserve them and add them back to the finished syrup in the jar/bottle to keep infusing.
This recipe can easily be made without gluten and the top nine food allergens.
Only nine foods are responsible for about 90% of food allergies in the United States: wheat, milk, soy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and sesame. It’s your personal responsibility to source safe ingredients, and check the safety of products I recommend (as manufacturer’s can change their formulas at any time without warning). Check out my Food Label Guide to learn how.
Always use safe handling practices when preparing gluten and allergen-free recipes:
Wash hands with soap and water (hand sanitizer does not remove allergens).
Wipe down all surfaces and use clean equipment.
Avoid cross contact of ingredients that aren’t safe and be mindful that allergens can become airborne in flour or powdered form.
Don’t share equipment among recipes. For example: use a dedicated spoon for regular pasta and another for gluten-free pasta — don’t use one spoon to stir both pots.
Clean your grill, use a clean grill pan, or tin foil barrier when preparing a Without Options recipe.
Save the packaging (or snap a photo of the ingredient list) of any processed items you use in a Without Options recipe. You can then share that information with your food sensitive guests if necessary.
Spirits and liquor are exempt from labeling laws and may contain allergens. For this reason, always consult guests before serving them alcohol (whether in a recipe or on it’s own).
Regarding processed ingredients: Always inspect the label of each product, every time, as manufacturer’s recipes and formulas can change (often without warning) and can vary between product size.
