Violet Syrup

The instruction is a cross-reference: find the rose syrup recipe in the same section and substitute violet petals for rose petals. What follows covers the parts that recipe assumes you already know.

• The method it points toPetal syrups of this kind generally work by pouring boiling water over the petals, leaving them to infuse, then straining and dissolving sugar in the warm liquid; the exact timings and proportions are whatever the rose syrup entry gives. Read the rose syrup entry before starting; nothing here works without it.
• Which violetThis means sweet violet, Viola odorata, the scented garden and woodland violet, or the closely related common blue violets. African violet (Saintpaulia) is a different plant entirely and is not a food. Buy petals sold as culinary or pick from ground you know has not been sprayed.
• Quantity of petalsSweet violet flowers are tiny, and a useful infusion takes a surprising volume of them. A loosely packed cup of blossoms to a cup of boiling water is a reasonable guide; less than that gives sugar water with a faint hint of scent.
• Do not boil the petalsHeat drives off the violet's ionone perfume, which is much of the point of the syrup. Pour the boiling water over the petals rather than simmering the petals in the pan.
• Colour and acidThe infusion tends to come out grey-blue to slate. A few drops of lemon juice swing it to a clear violet-pink; a pinch of baking soda pushes it green-blue. It costs nothing to adjust at the end.
• Keeping itA syrup at this sugar concentration is not shelf-stable in the way a preserve is. Bottle it, refrigerate, and use within a month; watch for cloudiness or surface mould. Freezing in small portions works better than a long cupboard stay.
• Yield and useA cup of infusion plus two cups of sugar gives roughly a pint. Two tablespoons in a tall glass of cold soda water makes the usual drink; it also goes over ice cream, into lemonade, or brushed onto plain cake.