Rose Syrup Recipe

by Marika
(Cyprus)

This Rose Syrup recipe is best using Fragrant roses.
I am living in Cyprus and people here (just like in Greece) are nuts about rose water. I've seen it done quite often to know how it's been done.

Before you make your syrup (also called rose water), make sure the petals have no traces of pesticides. Also the stronger the smell or fragrance of the roses, the better syrup you are getting as a result.

Ingredients:
cups of rose petals
cups of water
cups of sugar
a hint of lemon juice

I leave the amounts open because basically here they add the same number of cups of rose petals with the cups of sugar, and they add double cups of water. So if you have 4 cups of rose petals, then you need 4 cups of sugar, and 8 cups of water.

How to do it:

Use a large bowl to add the rose petals. Add in the cups of water and start boiling the petals. Cover the bowl with a fitting lid.

Once it started boiling, put it aside and keep the lid on.

When it's cool, use a strainer to pour the boiled rose water into another vessel. You can discard the roses, but here in Cyprus and in Greece they are actually used further as sweets that can be served after lunch as desert.

Now mix that water with the sugar and add just a bit of lemon juice for extra taste (which also acts as a natural preservative that makes the entire syrup last longer) and bring it almost to boil until the sugar melts and becomes creamy. Avoid boiling though, you don't want to make caramel out of it, you only want to melt the sugar.

Once its cool, put it in the fridge and use it in your favorite recipe.