This wonderfully thick syrup adds some of the complex notes of raw sugar and a good deal of viscosity to any mixed drink that calls for simple syrup, as the finished product is scoopably thick. The gum itself does have some flavor of its own as well, which may not work with all drinks.
Adapted From David Wondrich's Imbibe!
Time: 45 Min
Yield: 2 quarts
Notes: you can get food-grade gum arabic from Frontier Co-Op, or on Amazon.com. A common brand of turbinado sugar is Sugar in the Raw. The yield is large, so you may consider halving the recipe. The alcohol acts as a preservative so that the syrup lasts longer. Store finished product in the refrigerator.
 |
| Image © Greg Lohman 2010. Used with permission. |
Ingredients
1 lb food-grade gum arabic
3 lb turbinado or demerara sugar
4 c water, divided
1 oz grain alcohol or 2 oz vodka (as preservative)
Method
- Heat 3 c water in a saucier or dutch oven to near boiling, and add the gum arabic. Stir well with a spoon (a whisk will get filled up with half-dissolved gum), and continue to heat, until as much of the gum as possible is dissolved. Keep the heat moderate so the mixture does not boil and overflow.
- Meanwhile, add all the sugar and the rest of the water to medium saucepan, and heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- When the sugar is fully dissolved, slowly add the syrup to the container with the gum mixture, mixing throughout. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Add alcohol and stir well. Pass through a fine mesh strainer to remove any undissolved solids, directly into the container you'll use for portioning the finished gum syrup.
Except as noted, wondRICH club blog content by Rich Fulkerson, including text and images, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
