Cinnamon Syrup...
An easy guide to making it at home, the best brands to buy and the tastiest cocktails to try it in
Rich, fragrant, warm, and woody, Cinnamon is one of the most evocative spices used in cocktails and cuisines across the world today – and has been for many hundreds of years.
A tiki staple, Cinnamon Syrup was a signature ingredient of 1930’s tiki forefather Donn Beach (used in his secret ‘Don’s Mix’ and ‘Gardenia Mix’). These days, it finds itself in many a craft cocktail, adding layers of complexity and depth to everything it touches.
Whether you’re thinking of adding it to your first fresh brewed coffee of the day, spicing up the kids pancakes – or levelling up your mixology skills – we give you everything you need to know about Cinnamon Syrup all in one place. Including two easy recipes you can make at home – a simple 3 ingredient cinnamon infusion, plus a smoky dream of a cinnamon syrup – the best types of cinnamon to use, and of course which cocktails to try your new infusion in!
But for those of you with a little less time on your hands, let’s kick off with a quick look at which brands are best to buy.
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Best Cinnamon Syrups available to buy
BG Reynolds Cinnamon Cocktail Syrup
Previously known as ‘Trader Tiki’, Blair G. Reynolds’ Cinnamon Syrup is by far our favorite. A blend of both fruity Ceylon and spicy Cassia it hits the notes you’d expect from cinnamon and has a pleasant viscosity and mouthfeel. It also comes in a handy 375ml for those that want a bit of a test run and 750ml for when you know you’re going Cinnamon hardcore.
Monin Cinnamon Syrup
Cheaper and more readily available, Monin’s Cinnamon Syrup is a good all-rounder but it’s thinner, sweeter and has less cinnamon kick than the BG Reynolds.
Torani Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup
Torani Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup will do in a pinch in your cocktail mix – it’s another relatively cheap option, with a strong cinnamon flavor and notes of molasses coming through from the brown sugar. But it’s more geared towards layering up your latte and super-charging your ice cream than it is in titillating your tiki tastebuds.
So why make your own Cinnamon Syrup rather than buy it?
It comes down to a few basics: it’s almost too easy to knock up a batch as and when you need it; a few cinnamon sticks and a cup of sugar is incredibly cheap compared to a commercial solution; you get to dial up the flavors that you really enjoy, playing with additional spices as you progress past the basics; and come on… there’s a real kick to being able to say that you ‘made your own cinnamon syrup’ this weekend. 
The question then becomes, why would you buy rather than make your own? Again, there are valid arguments for this as well, the most compelling of which is that commercial syrups have stabilizers in that allow for a far longer shelf life. Yes you compromise on the number of ingredients that are being added to the mix, but if you’re only going to use the odd dash of syrup every now and then it makes sense to have something that will last past a few months and can be kept in a cupboard rather than a fridge.
Cinnamon Infused Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large Cinnamon Sticks - use 6 if they're the smaller stubby ones
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar (approx 236g)
- 1 cup Water (approx 236ml)
Method
- Break the cinnamon sticks into coarse pieces (without smashing them to dust) and place in a saucepan with the water and sugar. On a middling heat, stir until the sugar has dissolved and the water has turned brown and clear (about 5 mins). This will give you a 1:1 simple syrup.
- Turn the heat up and bring to a boil. As soon as it's rolling, drop it down to low, cover the saucepan and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, keep it covered and allow the mixture to steep for 2 hours. You can let it go longer, but taste test every now and then.
- Strain your infusion through cheesecloth (or muslin) to remove any of the cinnamon pieces and then decant into a sterilized glass bottle.
Notes
Variations
- Once you've mastered the basic cinnamon syrup, why not try adding different spices to the mix? Half a star of anise here, a few cloves there, or even some allspice - each addition dials up a different aspect of the taste profile. Experiment until you find the perfect combination.
- For a slightly more bitter edge, try charring your cinnamon sticks over an open flame first.
- A few drops of vanilla essence added to the bottle at the end helps lift the flavor, opening up the taste a little.
- Demerara and turbinado sugars are both very popular alternatives to using processed white sugar, as the molasses in them add greater depth to your finished syrup. A mix of both demerara and white on a 1:3 ratio creates a subtle but balanced flavor profile.
- You can also use brown sugar but we’d recommend using it in no more than a 1:2 ratio with white sugar as it can quickly overpower the cinnamon.
- If you've a bit of a sweet tooth, or prefer a more viscous syrup, you could double up on your measure of sugar to water. A 2:1 ratio would make it a rich syrup rather a simple syrup. A couple of advantages to a rich syrup are that it has a longer shelf life due to the additional sugar content, and you only need half as much to sweeten your drink, so it'll go even further.
- For that extra cinnamon kick - and to make your syrup look a bit more interesting 😉 - add a couple of cinnamon sticks into your bottle for good measure.
Cocktail recommendations
The list of drinks using cinnamon syrup is huge, but here are a few great tiki combinations to start you off:- Zombie - The original 1934 Don the Beachcomber version is a winner.
- Donga Punch - Uses cinnamon syrup as part of Don's Mix.
- Jet Pilot - From Steve Crane's 'Luau' restaurant, Beverley Hills, c.1958.
- Baron Samedi - A modern-day tiki drink invented by Beachbum Berry for a New Orleans happy hour. It also contains that most magical of infusions, Falernum...
A quick guide to cinnamon
Cassia vs Ceylon
There are many different varieties of cinnamon, but two of the most widely accessible are Cassia and Ceylon. Cassia comes from Indonesia and due to its low cost is one of the most commonly used in North America. Ceylon cinnamon, or to use its botanical name, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, is derived from Sri Lanka’s former colonial name, Ceylon. Also known as Canela in Mexico, it’s often referred to as ‘true cinnamon’. Although similar to Cassia (they’re both harvested from the inner bark of a related species of tree), it’s more expensive due to its extensive treatment process. It also differs quite substantially in flavor, aroma and appearance. Ceylon has a subtle, more mellow flavor, hints of clove with bright, floral and citrus notes. Its sticks are light golden brown in color and made of many thin, fragile layers of bark rolled tightly together.
Whilst Cassia is deeper, spicier (but with a far less complex aroma) and is most likely the one that you associate with the taste of cinnamon, due to its use in many everyday products, from cinnamon buns and rolls to syrups and ciders. Its sticks are more reddish, far tougher and thicker, with only one or two layers.
Saigon
Another popular variety of cinnamon is Saigon, which is actually a type of cassia. Hailing originally from Vietnam it’s now grown and exported predominantly from Indonesia. Even more prized than ceylon, its sweet, warm flavor is similar to cassia, but due to it having the highest essential oil content of all types of cinnamon, it is far more complex, aromatic and flavorful.Which Cinnamon is best in your syrup?
Although ceylon is better quality than cassia, it doesn’t hold up well in an overly long infusion, as it tends to break down and create a more cloudy mixture. Many people also prefer the more intense, sharper taste of cassia over the complex, subtler notes of the ceylon. If you have a choice, based on what’s available in your area, we suggest trying a 2:1 ratio of cassia to ceylon, bringing in the best parts of each.Smoked Cinnamon Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4-6 large Cinnamon Sticks - use 8-10 if they're small stubby ones
- 2 cups White Granulated Sugar (approx 472g)
- 2 cups Water (approx 472ml)
- Wood chips for smoking
Method
- Soak your wood chips in water for a couple of hours, and then bring your charcoal barbecue up to a steady 180F.
- Snap the cinnamon sticks into rough pieces and place in a 13x9" pan along with the water and sugar. A nice wide pan like this creates a greater surface area for the smoke to infuse into the syrup.
- Place your pan on the grill and a couple of big handfuls of wood chips directly onto the coals. Close the lid of your barby and let it smoke gently for a couple of hours.
- For the first hour, check back every 30 mins or so and give it a stir, making sure the sugar is dissolved and the cinnamon sticks are nicely coated in the mixture. After two hours it should be a lovely smoky amber colour and ready to bottle.
- Allow to cool, then strain your infusion through cheesecloth (or muslin) to remove any of the cinnamon pieces and decant into a sterilised glass bottle.
Notes
Cocktail Recommendations
Smoked cinnamon syrup brings a whole new level to any of the drinks mentioned in the first recipe, but it raises the bar particularly on spirit forward concoctions such as the classic Old Fashioned or the particularly tiki Gantt’s Caiprissima, where the smoke builds on the earthy warmth of the rhum agricole. Or for a quick cheeky tiki cocktail, why not try this recipe: Smoked Cinnamon & Pineapple Daiquiri:- 1 ½ oz Plantation Pineapple Rum
- ½ oz Smoked Cinnamon Syrup
- 1 oz Fresh Lime
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Thank you. Mahalo.
