Recipe: Rhubarb Simple Syrup

When we moved into our home in 2020, we inherited a very mature rhubarb plant from the previous owners. All I knew about rhubarb beforehand was that I had always passed on the strawberry rhubarb pies at family barbecues growing up, it was having a “moment” recently in cocktail bars, and my mom was deathly allergic to it. But my mom doesn’t live with us and we didn’t want to completely scrap it, so when it grew back the following spring, I looked into what I could do with a lot of rhubarb all at once. Because it can only be harvested once a season, and it comes in early (April-May), I liked the idea of a simple syrup that can capture its full essence and natural color. Below is the recipe (more of a formula) that I’ve used the last few years, followed by a few of my favorite uses!

yields 6 cups

ingredients*

2 pounds of rhubarb stalks

4 cups of water

2 cups of sugar

instructions

1. Trim dry ends of rhubarb stalks, keeping green sections intact if desired (they’ll cook down just the same and won’t dilute the color). Wash thoroughly and then slice into small pieces.

2. Add rhubarb pieces to a pot or dutch oven and enough water to cover (usually about 2 cups per pound of rhubarb). Bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the top. Drop to a simmer and cook until rhubarb has lost all its color and broken down into pale fibers (20-30 minutes), stirring occasionally and continuing to skim foam as needed.

3. Using a fine mesh sieve, scoop out all the rhubarb from the pot, or pour contents from one pot into another through a sieve, to remove all fruit remnants and isolate the water. It will be bright pink or red.

4. Add sugar and bring water to a boil again, stirring frequently to dissolve. Lower to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes to let the sugar fully dissolve.

   • If you want a thicker syrup, keep it on low heat until it has reduced by almost half, or has thickened to a maple syrup consistency. This is a great topping for pancakes, yogurt, or ice cream. As written, this recipe will create a consistency perfect for mixing into drinks (see below).

5. Set aside to cool completely. Once cool, pour into your preferred jar or container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks (you may need to give it a shake to redistribute sugars before use).

refreshing rhubarb mocktail

2 oz rhubarb simple syrup

6 oz carbonated drink of choice**

splash of fresh lemon juice

instructions

1. Fill a collins glass with ice.

2. Add simple syrup.

3. Top with sparkling beverage and lemon juice. Appreciate the ombré effect for a second, then stir to combine. Enjoy.

rhubarb gin cocktail

2 oz gin

2 oz rhubarb simple syrup

1 oz fresh lemon juice

optional: lemon peel garnish

instructions

1. Fill a highball glass with ice.

2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and gin, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Shake vigorously to combine.

3. Pour into glass. Fancy points awarded for lemon peel garnish. Enjoy.

notes

* This recipe is almost like a formula that can be scaled to whatever amount of rhubarb you have. If you want a smaller or larger amount, keep in mind these ratios: each pound of rhubarb needs 2-2.5 cups of water to cook in. The amount in pounds of rhubarb correlates to the amount in cups of sugar you will add to the water in step 4. For example, this year’s harvest was 4 pounds of rhubarb. It took 10 cups of water, and 4 cups of sugar to make 12 cups of simple syrup.

**I like making this with plain sparkling water, but you can also use mineral water (like Topo Chico), tonic water, club soda, or even flavored sparkling water. I’d recommend lemon, lime, strawberry, or watermelon flavors to complement the rhubarb!