A Chamomile-Orange Simple Syrup for Harvest Season
This chamomile simple syrup is infused with orange peels and cinnamon for a deliciously floral syrup recipe, perfect for mocktails, cocktails, and lemonades. Inspired by the sun and harvest season, it’s easy to make and ready in minutes.
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Table of contents
Crafting a Tea Syrup
I first set out to make this chamomile simple syrup for a summer harvest cocktail, my Lughnasadh Shandy as part of my Drinks for Lammas & Lughnasadh blog. I wanted something vibrant, celebrating the season’s abundance and summer’s warmth.
Behind the bar, we use simple syrup (equal measurements sugar and hot water) to sweeten our drink recipes. You aren’t going to be pulling out a hot plate mid shift in a busy bar to make simple syrup; most places I’ve worked use a tea kettle. We’d heat water before stirring in sugar on the fly. Simple, fast, easy. No sweat.
When I first started crafting intentional drink recipes, I found this method perfect for using my favorite teas to craft enticing cocktail syrups. Grab your preferred herb, steep ingredients like a tea, then add an equal amount of sugar and you have an effortless, delicious tea syrup for intentional cocktails and mocktails.
That’s how this chamomile syrup recipe came together: I grabbed my chamomile tea bag, cut a few orange peels for that fresh citrus oil, and sprinkled in some spice to bring it all together.
With ingredients aligned to the sun, this zesty syrup is truly simple and easy to make, and is perfect for adding a touch of solar vibrancy and warmth to any concoction. Add to your harvest or Summer solstice drink recipes (I suggest my Lughnasadh Shandy, a chamomile beer recipe), a delicious floral lemonade, or even to craft a simple orange old fashioned to sip in that seasonal summer magic.
Ingredients
Many of the ingredients for this syrup are already in your kitchen! Here is what you will need to make this orange and chamomile syrup:
- Chamomile – Use 1 tea bag (about 1/2 tablespoon ground) or 1 tablespoon whole chamomile.
- Orange Peel – Grab a fresh citrus and peel 2 strips. We’re going for those delicate, fresh citrus oils for this recipe.
- Ground Cinnamon – Cinnamon is a natural pairing with orange and adds the missing touch.
- Sugar – To streamline, I use white cane sugar. But feel free to experiment with other types for sugars. Just note when using other sugars (such as date sugar) the balance may not be 1:1.
Orange and Chamomile Syrup Recipe
Solar Harvest – An Orange Chamomile Simple Syrup
Ingredients
Method
- Set hot water to boil. To a jar, add chamomile, orange peel strips, and ground cinnamon.
- Measure 1/2 cup hot water and pour over ingredients. Steep 5-10 minutes to infuse flavors.
- Once infused, stir in 1/2 cup sugar. Let cool.
- Strain and use right away, or infuse overnight for additional time in the fridge.Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Frequently Asked Questions
Both will work! When I originally made the recipe, I used a tea bag for its accessibility. Returning to it years later, I used whole chamomile. Just be mindful the tea bag will be ground chamomile and much more concentrated—it may also be a blend. Whole chamomile isn’t ground, so air makes up some of the measurement volume, hence the need for more.
Just be mindful the continuous heat will both make the recipe stronger and also evaporate some of the water, increasing the sugar per volume. The benefit of simple syrup is the sweetness consistency always stay the same, recipe to recipe, drink to drink. If making this chamomile simple syrup over the stove, just add to taste.
The fresh citrus provides a delicate flavor and fresh aromatic oils. If using dried peels, be mindful the infusion may be stronger and slightly bitter.
Cinnamon sticks may take longer to the infuse into the recipe but would still be delicious and also make an excellent cross-purpose garnish for the chamomile syrup cocktail you use it in.
Honey quickly overtakes the delicate chamomile and orange flavors. I found it wasn’t very strong even after 24 extra hours infusing. If you try this, you may need to allow it to infuse even longer in the fridge, increase the tea and orange, or cook in a pot on the stove. If it works for you, let me know how you did it!
Have a question you don’t see here? Comment below so I can help you!
Chamomile Cocktail Recipes to Try
Try this very syrup in a chamomile beer recipe or lemonade in my Lughnasadh Shandy Recipe blog (the lemonade details are in the non alcoholic section). If you love chamomile, you might also like my Calming Chamomile Moon Mix cocktail and mocktail.
Here’s a throwback to the first photo I made of this syrup back in 2020!
