Mandarin Syrup | Mandarins.com.au

Mandarin syrup is one of the most versatile winter pantry items you can make. A jar in the fridge extends the use of in-season fruit across weeks of breakfasts, cocktails, cakes, and salads. The basic method takes less than 15 minutes. The variations are mostly a matter of what you add to the pot.

The key decision is whether you want a syrup to pour over cakes, a syrup to sweeten drinks, or a shrub (a vinegar-based syrup for adding to sparkling water). Each version starts from the same place: mandarin juice, sugar, and a little heat.

Quick guide

Five mandarin syrup styles worth making:

Simple mandarin syrup: the base version, juice and sugar, used for everything
Mandarin honey syrup: honey replaces some of the sugar, softer and more floral
Mandarin and vanilla syrup: warm and sweet, good for pancakes and French toast
Mandarin and cardamom syrup: spiced, suits cocktails, yoghurt, and roast vegetables
Mandarin shrub: a drinking vinegar made by cold maceration, sharp and complex

Best mandarin variety for syrup

Honey Murcott gives the most flavourful syrup: deep orange colour, high juice content, and intense sweetness that holds up well after cooking. Imperial makes a lighter, brighter syrup suitable for lighter applications like soda and yoghurt. Afourer is good for syrups where the aromatic quality of the peel is infused directly.

For any syrup using the peel as well as the juice, choose unwaxed fruit and wash thoroughly.

Simple mandarin syrup

Combine equal volumes of mandarin juice and caster sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely, then raise the heat slightly and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until the syrup coats the back of a spoon. Add a strip of mandarin peel while it simmers for extra aroma. Strain and cool.

This is the version to keep in the fridge for general use. It lasts refrigerated for two weeks. Use it to soak cakes (especially the mandarin syrup cake from SBS Food and Matt Moran), to sweeten cocktails, to drizzle over yoghurt, or to stir into sparkling water as a simple cordial.

The ratio can be adjusted: less sugar gives a thinner, more natural syrup. More sugar (equal parts by weight rather than volume) gives a thicker, more concentrated result suited to soaking cakes.

Key ingredients: mandarin juice, caster sugar, mandarin peel strip.

Mandarin honey syrup

Replace half or all of the caster sugar with a mild honey. Light orange blossom or acacia honey works well. Combine juice and honey in a saucepan over low heat, stir until dissolved, and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Do not boil vigorously or the honey will darken and take on a bitter edge.

The honey adds a floral depth that complements the mandarin without obscuring it. This version suits drizzling over ricotta toast, adding to chamomile tea, or using as a simple syrup in cocktails where you want a more complex sweetness.

Key ingredients: mandarin juice, honey, optional mandarin peel.

Mandarin and vanilla syrup

Add a split vanilla bean to the saucepan while the syrup simmers. Steep for 10 minutes, then remove the bean before straining. The vanilla rounds the mandarin’s brightness and gives a syrup with a dessert quality.

Good for: pancakes, waffles, French toast, ice cream, and poached fruit. The Cookidoo mandarin bavarois recipe uses a simple mandarin syrup with segments as a dessert sauce; adding vanilla to that base makes it more suited to serving alongside cream or ice cream.

Key ingredients: mandarin juice, caster sugar, vanilla bean.

Mandarin and cardamom syrup

Lightly crush three or four cardamom pods and add to the saucepan with the juice and sugar. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, then steep off the heat for another 5 minutes. Strain well.

The cardamom brings a warm, aromatic complexity that suits winter drinking and savoury applications. This version is particularly good in a mandarin gin spritz (see mandarin gin cocktails) or drizzled over a roast pumpkin or carrot dish.

Key ingredients: mandarin juice, caster sugar, cardamom pods.

Mandarin shrub (drinking vinegar)

A shrub is a cold-process drinking vinegar that preserves fruit flavour without cooking. It keeps longer than a standard syrup and has a sharp, fermented quality that is excellent mixed with sparkling water or used in cocktails.

Peck of Pickles’ method: mash peeled mandarin fruit with caster sugar using a muddling stick or fork in a clean container. Add a sprig of tarragon or other herb if desired. Seal and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight until a thick syrup forms. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, then pour apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar through the fruit solids as it strains. Bottle and refrigerate.

The ratio is roughly 250g mandarin to 125g sugar to 125g vinegar. The shrub keeps refrigerated for one week; to make it shelf stable, follow standard preserving procedures.

Mix 2 tablespoons of shrub with 200ml chilled sparkling water for a sharp, non-alcoholic mandarin drink. Or use it in place of citrus juice in cocktails.

Key ingredients: mandarins, sugar, apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar.

What to do with the peel

If you use mandarin juice for syrup, keep the peel. See candied mandarin peel for how to candy it, dry it, or use it in baking.

When to make mandarin syrup

Mandarins are in season from May through August. Simple syrup is worth making whenever you have more fruit than you can eat fresh. See when Australian mandarins are in season for the variety calendar.