Tomato Basil Syrup
This Tomato Basil Sparkling Ade is a drink I had at a Korean cafe called licksip in Hannam. I was so pleasantly surprised when I had my first sip, and enjoyed it so much that I forgot to take a photo until I was halfway through (I always take photos!).
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this since I came back, so I looked up various recipes and learned that it was indeed Korean cafes that first created this drink.
I think the syrup probably was inspired by the way the Korean Cheong is made. Cheong is a traditional way of preserving fruit in syrup form, by simply adding clean dry fruit in a glass jar with equal weight of sugar layered in. After months, by osmosis the water in the fruit is drawn out into the sugar and all the fruit flavors infuse into a delicious, aged syrup. Maesil Cheong (plum syrup) is an example and it’s known for its health benefits and delicious taste as hot or cold tea.
The Tomato Basil Syrup is made in a similar way. Usually for good preservation in room temperature, you need to use an equal parts of sugar as the fruit, but here i used half the weight of the tomatoes to reduce my sugar intake. To prolong its life, you simply have to store it in the fridge. it should last, at least, 2-3 weeks chilled.
I made the recipe so that it contains a bit less sugar (half sugar and half allulose), and is as easy as possible. if you don’t have allulose, just using sugar is fine. Since this lasts a while in the fridge, once you stock up, you’ll be able to enjoy it for several weeks :)
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Allulose: I got mine from my local grocery store, but you can get it online. A lot of Korean people have been using allulose since it tastes identical to sugar (I find it a tiny bit less sweet than sugar, but the same flavor)
but keep in mind consuming large quantities of allulose can cause bloating or digestive issues (don’t consume more than 1.5 Tbsp at a time)in this recipe the allulose is diluted with tomato juice, sugar, and water, so you don’t need to worry about adding ~1Tbsp of this syrup
[[Ingredients]] 6 servings
12 oz cherry tomatoes (I used this one from Trader Joes)
2 tsp vinegar + bowl of water (to clean the tomatoes)
75g sugar (no allulose? you can use 150g of sugar)
75g allulose
10 basil leaves, washed and dried
mason jar (cleaned and dried)
Wash the tomatoes by soaking them in water with 2 teaspoons of white vinegar.
Rinse well, then use a knife to score a shallow "+" on the top of each tomato (the stem end).
it should look like this
in a heat safe bowl, pour hot water over the tomatoes. soak them for 5 minutes
drain the water completely. the peel should come off easily. peel each tomato.
*soak in hot 1-2 more minutes longer as necessary
make sure all the water is drained from the tomatoes (but don’t squeeze them)
add sugar and allullose
dry basil leave and cut into halves or 1/3 pieces. add to the tomatoes and mix until the sugar looks smooth
*mix using a gentle folding motion, scraping the bottom of the bowl and turning the tomatoes over as you go
store in a clean mason jar, refridgerate overnight. store chilled.
the next day, your tomato basil cheong (syrup) will be ready!
in a cup, add 2 large spoonfuls of the syrup, ice cubes, and top with sparkling water
top to the tippy top :)
garnish with a tomato , and enjoy!
a staple in my fridge this summer :)
Full Recipe without Photos
Wash the tomatoes by soaking them in water with 2 teaspoons of white vinegar.
Rinse well, then use a knife to score a shallow "+" on the top of each tomato (the stem end).
in a heat safe bowl, pour hot water over the tomatoes. soak them for 5 minutes
drain the water completely. the peel should come off easily. peel each tomato.
*soak in hot 1-2 more minutes longer as necessary
make sure all the water is drained from the tomatoes (but don’t squeeze them), and add sugar and allullose
dry basil leave and cut into halves or 1/3 pieces. add to the tomatoes and mix until the sugar looks smooth
*mix using a gentle folding motion, scraping the bottom of the bowl and turning the tomatoes over as you go
store in a clean mason jar, refridgerate overnight. store chilled.
the next day, your tomato basil cheong (syrup) will be ready!
in a cup, add 2 large spoonfuls of the syrup, ice cubes, and top with sparkling water garnish with a tomato , and enjoy!
