Gingerbread syrup tastes like Christmas in a bottle: warm ginger, cinnamon, molasses and brown sugar. A spoonful turns your morning coffee into a gingerbread latte, and it's the secret ingredient in my gingerbread espresso martini. You can buy it, but homemade takes 10 minutes and tastes so much better.
Before The Boozy Mermaid, I owned a cocktail company, Southern Twist Craft Cocktail Infusions, and our syrups were made with erythritol. So I've made a lot of low-sugar syrup, and I can tell you real ingredients taste so much better than the store-bought bottles. Here's how I make gingerbread syrup at home, both ways.
Classic Homemade Gingerbread Syrup
The regular version uses brown sugar and real molasses for that deep, cookie-like flavor.
Gingerbread Syrup Ingredients
1 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
How to Make It
Combine everything in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Stir until the sugar dissolves, then simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Let cool, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer or coffee filter to remove the spice grit.
Pour into a clean bottle and refrigerate.
Makes about 1 1/4 cups. Keeps 2 weeks in the fridge. For an even warmer flavor, add a slice of fresh ginger and a cinnamon stick while it simmers.
Low-Sugar Gingerbread Syrup (Erythritol)
A brown erythritol blend gives you that same caramel-y, brown sugar flavor. The teaspoon of molasses is optional, but it adds a lot of real gingerbread flavor for very little sugar.
Low-Sugar Gingerbread Syrup Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup brown erythritol 1:1 blend (like Swerve Brown)
1 teaspoon molasses (optional, for flavor)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional, for body)
How to Make It
Warm the water and spices in a small saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the erythritol (and molasses, if using) until dissolved.
Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and sprinkle in the xanthan gum while whisking. Let cool, then strain.
Pour into a clean bottle and refrigerate.
Makes about 1 1/4 cups. Keeps 2 weeks in the fridge.
Low-Sugar Sweetener Options
Erythritol is my favorite for syrups. It tastes clean and natural, it has no aftertaste for most people, and it lets the real flavors come through. Here's how the common options compare:
Erythritol (my pick): clean, natural flavor. It's about 70% as sweet as sugar, so use 1 1/3 cups per cup of sugar, or a 1:1 blend like Swerve cup for cup. Powdered dissolves best.
Allulose: the best texture of any sugar substitute and it never crystallizes. Use about 1 1/3 cups per cup of sugar.
Monk fruit blends: most are monk fruit plus erythritol, so they work exactly like erythritol. Check the label for a 1:1 ratio.
Liquid sucralose: works in a pinch, but it's very concentrated and adds no body, so the syrup will be thin. Sweeten to taste and use the xanthan gum.
Skip granulated Splenda here. It's great for baking but makes a watery syrup.
Why xanthan gum? Sugar is what makes regular syrup thick. A tiny pinch of xanthan gum gives low-sugar syrup that same silky body so it feels like the real thing in your coffee and cocktails. It's optional, and a little goes a long way.
How to Use Gingerbread Syrup
In Coffee
Gingerbread latte: 1 to 2 tablespoons in a latte, topped with whipped cream and a pinch of cinnamon.
Gingerbread cold brew: stir into cold brew with a splash of cream.
Gingerbread hot chocolate: 1 tablespoon in a mug of hot cocoa.
In Cocktails
Gingerbread espresso martini: 1/2 oz with vodka or bourbon, espresso and coffee liqueur.
Gingerbread old fashioned: 2 oz bourbon, 1/4 oz gingerbread syrup and 2 dashes Angostura bitters, stirred over a big cube.
Gingerbread white Russian: 2 oz vodka, 1 oz coffee liqueur, 1/2 oz gingerbread syrup and a splash of cream over ice.
How to Store Homemade Syrup
Store in a clean, airtight bottle or jar in the fridge.
Regular syrup keeps about 3 weeks; low-sugar syrup about 2 weeks. If it looks cloudy or smells off, toss it.
Erythritol can form crystals when it's cold. Warm the bottle in a bowl of hot water or microwave for a few seconds, shake, and it's good as new.
Label the bottle with the date so you know when you made it.
Gingerbread Syrup FAQ
Can I use fresh ginger instead of ground? Yes. Use a 2-inch piece, sliced, and strain it out. Fresh ginger is spicier and brighter.
Why strain it? Ground spices don't fully dissolve. Straining through a coffee filter gives you a smooth syrup with no grit at the bottom of your cup.
Is the low-sugar version sugar-free? Without the molasses, yes, it's effectively sugar-free. The optional teaspoon of molasses adds a tiny amount of sugar across the whole batch.
Shake It Up at Home
Making cocktails with your syrups? Our handcrafted cocktail shakers are made in Charleston, SC and designed by a professional bartender. They make a great gift with a bottle of homemade syrup, too.