USDA MEDIAN BERRY · 12.7 mm · 1.5 gFREE · NO SIGN-UP
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Preserves

Blueberry Simple Syrup for Drinks

Prep5 min
Cook12 min
Total45 min (incl. steeping)
YieldAbout 1 1/4 cups
DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cupsfresh blueberries≈ 148 median blueberries
  • 1 cupgranulated sugar
  • 1 cupwater
  • 1 tsplemon juice
  • 2strips lemon peel (optional)

Steps

  1. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and heat, stirring, until the sugar fully dissolves.
  2. Add blueberries, lemon juice, and lemon peel if using. Bring to a gentle simmer.
  3. Simmer 10–12 minutes, pressing the berries against the side of the pan a few times to release colour and flavour.
  4. Remove from heat and steep 30 minutes off the burner — this deepens the flavour far more than longer boiling would.
  5. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve without pressing hard on the solids; pressing makes the syrup cloudy.
  6. Bottle and refrigerate up to 1 month.

Notes

  • Thinner than pancake syrup by design — it needs to pour and mix into cold liquid.
  • Use in lemonade, iced tea, soda water, or cocktails. About 1 tablespoon per glass.
A 100-gram serving of blueberries contains roughly 160 mg of anthocyaninsLaid end-to-end at 12.7 mm apiece, it would take about 30 billion berries to reach the MoonThe world's largest blueberry weighed 16.2 grams — a Guinness record set in Australia in 2020Wild lowbush blueberries are about 40% smaller than cultivated highbush onesThe United States and Canada together produce roughly half of the world's cultivated blueberriesA 100-gram serving of blueberries contains roughly 160 mg of anthocyaninsLaid end-to-end at 12.7 mm apiece, it would take about 30 billion berries to reach the MoonThe world's largest blueberry weighed 16.2 grams — a Guinness record set in Australia in 2020Wild lowbush blueberries are about 40% smaller than cultivated highbush onesThe United States and Canada together produce roughly half of the world's cultivated blueberries