Tasmanian Pepperberry Syrup

A SYRUP THAT IS ALL ABOUT PEPPERBERRY

Our pepperberry syrup is deliberately simple. We make it from fresh-pressed Tasmanian pepperberries, sugar and lemon.

It exists for one clear purpose: to showcase the unique fruity character of pepperberry.

Pepperberry is both a name and a description of its flavour. It is spicy and peppery on one hand, but on the other it is a berry — an unusual berry with a distinctive fruity flavour.

Our syrup sits towards the berry end of that spectrum. It is mildly spicy, with the emphasis firmly on the fruit.

FROM BERRY TO BOTTLE

We select berries for the syrup as we harvest, looking for those with the particular character we think will make a great syrup. They are invariably late-season berries from particular regions.

The fresh berries are pressed using a hydropress, concentrating what is already there rather than trying to turn pepperberry into something else.

The result is a remarkably simple preserve — and, in its own small way, an authentic taste of the Tasmanian wilderness.

A LITTLE BIT OF A RESEARCH PROJECT

When we first make the syrup, it is waaaay too spicy.

That intense pepperberry heat mellows surprisingly quickly. After about three months in the bottle, the syrup is only very mildly spicy.

We’ve been experimenting with ways of stabilising that spicy component at a desirable level. We’ve had some success, but the work is ongoing.

This means there can be some variation in the spicy character of our syrup depending on how long ago the batch was made.

The result is a syrup that changes subtly with time — but at its heart it is always pepperberry.

BRING PEPPERBERRY INTO YOUR KITCHEN

Drinks
Pepperberry syrup combines particularly well with tonic water, with or without gin.

Desserts
Drizzle over desserts, or use it to make a delicious sorbet or ice cream.

Dressings
Try it in a salad dressing with red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Savoury dishes
Combine with soy sauce to make a marinade, glaze or dipping sauce.