Your Delicious Guide to Coffee Syrups + The Best Coffee Syrup Recipes
- 11 Oct 2021
What is the best coffee syrup for your favourite drink and desserts? What coffee syrup do coffee shops use? Where can you buy coffee syrups and how do you use coffee syrup at home?
While some who consider themselves coffee purists who disdain the notion that coffee should be anything other than served in its naked form, there is much to be said for embracing unbridled creativity when it comes to consuming one of life's greatest joys - food and drink.
Famous for founding an entire philosophical school of thought on the matter of fun, Epicurous says this: “Pleasure is the first good. It is the beginning of every choice and every aversion.”
In truly Australian fashion, we would consider this statement to mean: “Have fun, don’t knock ‘til you try it”. Maybe you won’t like it and you’ll learn something new about yourself - but we’re betting that you’ll become a huge fan like us. Inspiring your ultimate brewing experience is what Crema Coffee Garage lives for, and this humble addition is made for great things.
Flavoured coffee syrups have so much to offer beyond making your daily brew just a little more sparkly and a little more joyful. They’re remarkably versatile and have the potential to add extra depth to a number of common dishes we all love to indulge in regularly. They’re not just a coffee syrup, they’re a staple pantry ingredient - so let’s look at the top ways to get the most out of your purchase.
HOW TO USE COFFEE SYRUP AT HOME - ADDING FLAVOUR TO COFFEE & HOT DRINKS
As a singular ingredient, coffee is complex and diverse in its natural flavours. You can find it with a huge array of tasting notes: fruits, spices, caramels, chocolates - there’s even savoury and vegetable flavours. Because of this, using a flavoured coffee syrup can enhance the way the coffee already tastes, or you can add an extra complementary layer to your experience.
This idea is no different to the way perfumes are created, mixologists create cocktails, or chefs create masterful food experiences. Coffee syrups are a sensory wonderland that can lift a hot drink up to a godly status. This doesn’t take away from the coffee itself - pure black coffee and flavoured coffee based drinks are both valid. The best coffee recipes don’t have to be limited.
Adding flavours to your coffee
The best way to start is to try some different flavours in your coffee, and experiment with different amounts. Because they’re sugar based, you also need to find out what flavour you like, and how sweet you like it.
At Crema Coffee Garage, the team in the Espresso Bar generally recommend that first-timers try theirs with 10ml of their chosen flavour, and adjust from there. The standard serving size for flavoured syrups is about 30ml across the majority of Australian cafes, but we consider this too sweet for smaller cups and serve syrups at a consistent ratio:
- 8oz cup = 10ml of flavoured coffee syrup
- 12oz cup = 20ml of flavoured coffee syrup
- 16oz = 30ml of flavoured coffee syrups
Of course, you can add more or less to taste, but this is the coffee brewing recipe that has worked for us, time after time.
What are the best coffee syrup flavours?
The most popular flavours being consumed are caramel, vanilla and hazelnut - but the range of the best coffee syrup flavours is now incredibly diverse and can include other superstars such as:
- Butterscotch
- Irish cream
- Salted Caramel
- Coconut
- Peppermint
- Gingerbread
- Chai
- Cinnamon
- Chocolate
- White chocolate
Adding coffee syrup flavours to other fan favourites
The best part is that flavoured syrups aren’t relegated to enhancing just coffee - you can use them in any of your favourite hot drinks to keep things heavenly. Some great combos include:
- Hot chocolate & mint flavoured coffee syrup
- Hot chocolate & orange flavoured syrup
- Hot chocolate & caramel flavoured coffee syrup
- Chai latte & Vanilla flavoured coffee syrup
- Chai latte & gingerbread flavoured coffee syrup
- Chai latte & coconut flavoured syrup
The takeaway here? Get out there and try some flavours at your local cafes, then take some home to experiment with dosage and different creations for the yummiest time ever!
COLD DRINKS & COFFEE SYRUPS - DID THEY JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?
The world of flavoured syrups for drinks is so staggeringly diverse, if you ever browse the available choices online or in your local wholesale supplies store you can quite literally purchase hundreds of different flavours.
Most of the popular syrup flavours outlined so far are only popular because they’re what people are most widely exposed to, but the true range is far more exciting and can make for some of the tastiest cold drinks around to smash Australian summer thirst.
You can add these syrups to your juices, iced teas, cold brew coffees and milkshakes - or even just use them as a unique cordial when the temperature dials up to sweltering.
Delicious flavoured syrups for cold drinks to beat the heat
Some often overlooked but delicious flavours include, but are not limited to:
- The melons: Watermelon, honeydew and rockmelon (or Cantaloupe, yes yes)
- The very berries: Cherry, strawberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, cranberry, loganberry
- The citrus party:Lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange
- The florals: Lavender, jasmine, elderflower, rose and orange blossom
- The herbals: peppermint, spearmint, lemongrass, thyme, basil and rosemary
- The eccentrics: Banana, rhubarb, ginger, kiwi fruit and mango
Don’t know where to buy it? Call us and ask.
Our favourites: Easy cold drink recipes using flavoured syrups to try now
There are so many ways to use flavoured syrups in cold drinks, it was honestly a tough time limiting ourselves here. But we know our Crema family is going to surprise us with their experiments and curiosity - so here’s just a few favourites to road test.
The Cold Milk Tea
Love your black tea but sweating too much to enjoy it? Brew a cold one and add a dash of flair with this tasty recipe!
Ingredients:
- Brewed Earl Grey Tea or English Breakfast tea - Some more specific recommendations we adore include French Earl Grey tea and Irish or Australian Breakfast Tea
- 15ml of Vanilla flavoured coffee syrup
- Ice
- Optional: 100ml of cold milk or alternative milk of your choice
Method:
Brew your black tea and allow it to cool, or think ahead and set your tea to cold brew slowly the day before for optimal results. In a 12oz glass (standard mug size) add your ice, vanilla syrup and black tea. If you’re adding milk, leave space in the cup for this, before stirring well with a spoon. Sip and sigh!
The Gingerbread Delight
Looking for a milkshake or thick shake to take you to a different plane of heavenly existence? This recipe is one that will live with you forever.
Ingredients:
- 400ml cold milk or alternative milk choice
- 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream or dairy-free alternative - adjust and add 2 more scoops of ice cream for a thick shake
- 30ml Gingerbread flavoured syrup
- 20g of chai latte powder
Method:
In a blender add your ice cream, gingerbread flavoured coffee syrup, chai powder and top with milk. Blend until smooth and creamy. If you’re making a thick shake, only fill your milk to be level with the top of your ice cream in the blender, and add a little extra milk if needed to allow it to mix properly and create a smooth blend. You can thank us later.
The Summer Crusher
If you’re feeling fruity, fresh and want a cold drink that will smash thirst and leave you wanting more, this recipe will need to live on your permanent rotation.
Ingredients:
- A berry fruit tea of your choice - we recommend trying Fruits of Eden for this
- 15ml of mint or orange flavoured coffee syrup
- Ice
- Optional - fresh mint sprigs and orange slices
Method:
Brew your tea ahead of time and allow it to cool, or cold brew it overnight for best results. In a glass add your ice and mint or orange flavoured coffee syrup. If desired, crush your fresh mint by hand and add to the glass, or if adding orange slices gives them a squeeze before sliding them into the glass below the ice. Top your glass with cold berry tea, and stir well. Take a big swig and feel your hydration notch up to a cool 10/10.
The Caramel Slice Coldie
Nothing hits the spot like a fresh, icy cold brew when the heat is feeling oppressive. But why not add a bit of extra depth to your regular fair?
Ingredients:
- 20ml caramel flavoured coffee syrup
- 90ml Crema Cold Brew Concentrate - buy it in-store or brew it yourself
- Ice
- 250ml cold water, milk or non-dairy alternative (almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, soy milk and macadamia milk are all top performers here)
Method:
Add your ice, caramel syrup and cold brew to a cup. Top with water, milk or a dairy-free alternative. Stir well and suck it down while it's super icy.
You can also watch our latest video and try your hand at a Whipped Vanilla Cold Brew Latte recipe. What more could you want?
COCKTAILS AND FLAVOURED COFFEE SYRUPS? YES PLEASE!
Australians are big fans of cocktails - it might have something to do with the relatively constant state of beachy summer we reside in, and our willingness to be curious and fun when it comes to our food culture.
Flavoured syrups commonly used for coffee and cold drinks are unsurprisingly also a very popular and crucial ingredient in many of our favourite classic cocktails.
Think it’s limited to the top 10 cocktails? Think again - you can experiment with so much when it comes to flavoured coffee syrups so try it out with some of these pearlers:
- Espresso martinis
- Mojitos
- Cosmopolitans
- French Martinis
- Whiskey Sours
- Singapore Slings
- Moscow Mules
- Long Island Iced tea
- Pina Colada
- Margarita
- Mint Julep
- Mai Tai
- Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri
- Negroni
If you’re looking for more coffee cocktail inspiration, you can head over to an article we wrote on the topic, just for you.
EASY BAKING IDEAS USING COFFEE SYRUPS
Using a flavoured coffee syrup in your baking can take the place of already added sugar, but with the extra benefit of amazing flavours. You can use your flavoured syrups in anything: Cakes, cookies, slices, cupcakes, muffins, cheesecake and more. Here, your imagination is your only limitation and you can add a touch of flair and originality to some familiar fan favourites. You can see some great recipe suggestions in our latest Cold Brew article here!
Some of our other fun ideas include adding:
- Butterscotch syrup to simple coffee cake recipes or butter cake recipes
- Chai flavoured coffee syrup to cheesecakes
- Gingerbread flavoured syrup to carrot cake
- Caramel syrup to choc chip cookies
- Lavender flavoured syrup to cupcakes, with lemon icing
- Irish cream flavoured syrup to scones
- Vanilla flavoured syrup to lemon slices
- Coconut flavoured syrup to the custard in vanilla slices
The possibilities for using flavoured coffee syrups in baking are about as limited as cocktails - they’re not! There are so many ways you can use just one of your favourite flavours across all kinds of recipes at home, because their simple nature makes them easy to work with.
Sweet breakfasts to remember: making fan favourites special
They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. While word on the street is that it’s for health reasons, why can’t it just be to start the day off with a big smile and sigh of contentedness?
If you haven't considered using your flavoured syrups in your breakfast hacks, here are a few top ones to consider trying at home:
- Pancakes & waffles: Mix it up and use a flavoured syrup here instead of trusty Maple Syrup. We recommended vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, salted caramel or coconut to make you swoon. Like something a little bit more savoury? Just add bacon!
- Muesli: Whether you take your morning muesli with yoghurt and fruit, just milk, or something in between - a splash of a loved coffee syrup can take it to the next level.
- Cereal: Wish your weetbix or bran flakes had a little more pep in their step? Who said we can’t have a little bit of extra flavour with that? Certainly not us.
Breakfast just got a sassy makeover - if you’re going to have dessert for breakfast, you might as well make it fashion darling.
SUGAR FREE COFFEE SYRUPS - YES, YOU CAN HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!
If you’re trying to manage your weight or you have a health condition that bars standard sugar from your diet, sugar free flavoured syrups are a fantastic choice. The products have come a long way since their first inception, and the choices on the market now are often indistinguishable in taste from their natural sugar counterparts. Sugar free syrups are an exciting development in the food world, are hugely popular and we can’t wait to see how they continue to develop.
Check out our tasty Sugar Free Hazelnut Iced Latte recipe for some starting inspo.
You can purchase some zero sugar syrups in our shop, and come into our espresso bars for a taste test anytime!
Embrace flavoured syrups for coffee and the best coffee syrup combinations
When it comes to flavoured coffee syrups, you’re probably starting to realise that they can be anything you want them to be and they don’t have to cause a hit to your health. People often ask us “ are coffee syrups healthy?” and the answer is yes, in moderation. Like anything we consider a treat, we should all make sure we consume them responsibly. Using flavoured syrups to add a little bit of zest and interest to your daily favourites or as inspiration for a new recipe is fun, plain and simple.
There are loads of top coffee syrup brands, and some recognisable ones include Monin coffee syrups and Torani coffee syrups. At Crema we tried and tested squillions of brands in our espresso bar and got feedback from customers. We ultimately made the choice to offer Toshi coffee syrups and Da Vinci syrups because they have the best range, flavour quality and sugar free options that our customers love.
You can try these syrups in-house at our Newcastle and Brisbane espresso bars, and taste-test the different flavours and doses with our amazing baristas until you find the right fit for you. And once you do? Well you can order online or pop into our showroom any time for a refill!
If you’re looking for a flavour but can’t see it on our shelves or online, ask us about how you can get your hands on some sweet goodies to experiment with. Call our Crema Crew to ask about it, or submit an enquiry via our website to find out more.
Happy brewing!
