By Jenni Meredith

Everyone hates waste, but what can you do with leftover citrus rind from a lemon drizzle cake, strawberries on the turn, a mango you never ended up eating or the mass of elderflower in your garden…not much right? Well, think again because, for the cocktail lovers amongst you, there is a tasty solution to this problem – flavoured sugar syrup! Sugar syrup is a staple ingredient when shaking up a storm and can be easily made at home (rather than paying a premium for those fancy flavoured ones). The method below works particularly well with citrus, but you could try it with nearly anything. Remember – the more fruit you use, the stronger the flavour will be, and likewise, the longer you leave the fruit in the liquid, the stronger it’ll be too. 

PICTURE: Sama Hosseini/Unsplash

Method
Mix two parts sugar (I use caster sugar) with one part water and heat in a pan over low-medium heat. ‘Express’ the rind (twist it and squeeze over the pan) and pop into the sugar water. Continue to heat, stirring until the sugar has been dissolved. Leave the liquid until cool, stir and strain into a clear jar or bottle. Keep in the fridge and use within three weeks.

PICTURE: Nick Fewings/Unsplash

Here’s a recipe to try once you’ve made your syrup:

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French 75 Cocktail

You’ll need 
• 50ml gin (Hastings 1066 Gin is great) 
• 1 tsp lemon juice 
• 1 tsp of homemade lemon sugar syrup (or whatever flavour you like)
• Your favourite sparkling wine

Method
1. Shake the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup over ice (if you’re going for a picnic, you can batch-make this step in advance and store in a ‘keep cool’ thermos)
2. Pour into a flute and top with sparkling wine. If you’re feeling fancy, garnish with a twist of lemon and a slice of strawberry!


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