When writing this post name, I confess I was thinking of the catch phrase from a commercial that was always on TV when I was younger…

Segway…

Czechs jazz up their water with SYRUP! I’m here to tell you (Americans? I’m not sure who) that syrup ain’t only for your pancakes (or lattes, or mixed drinks).

Don’t they look so cool, like witches’ potions? I can just imagine stirring up some magic, if I were willing to waste my syrup that quickly.

These are, from left to right, lemon balm syrup, lavender syrup, and ginger and lemon balm syrup. Mmmm. Except for the ginger, the ingredients were taken from Ondra’s family’s garden.

Making syrup at home is very common and popular here – all three of those pictured above are homemade. You can also get syrup in the supermarket, for example the brand Jupí.

Here are two fruit flavors you never see in NY – red currant and black elderberry. They are superhustý, or extra dense. The concentrated flavor of syrup is adjusted to your tastes – less for subtle flavor, and more for very sweet…

I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone put syrup into just plain drinking water in the States. At the very least it’s uncommon, but here it’s everywhere! I know that it helps me drink a lot more water, because I want to drink it 😀

***

Here’s a recipe from Tchibo for lavender syrup that I translated in case you want to try it at home. It’s really simple, and it just makes a small amount so you can taste it and adjust next time!

Ingredients:

250ml (8.5 fl oz.) water

100g granulated sugar

1 tablespoon of dried lavender

Slowly heat the sugar in the water and stir until it melts in. Add lavender and wait for it to boil. Cook roughly two minutes, after which strain the mixture and leave it to cool.

Easy, right? Happy syrup-making!