Chestnut Cocktail Syrup

Chestnuts are a classic Christmas staple, but I bet most of you sing the words “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” without fulfilling the tradition. And we don’t blame you. Chestnuts were not a part of our Christmas routine until this year when we decided to give this syrup a shot. And let us tell you. This syrup is sweet, nutty and full of spice.

Chestnut syrup is also a great gift.  A lot of love and labour goes into making it, so it will make your recipients feel truly stoked this Christmas season.

• 1 cup cooked chestnuts
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbs orange zest
• pinch of nutmeg
• 2 oz of whisky
• mason jar

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Time to roast the chestnuts. Use a knife to slice the top of each chestnut shell, cutting into the flesh to prevent them fro exploding in the oven. Here’s a video to show you how to do this by our pal Jamie Oliver.
3. Place the chestnuts on a baking sheet, cut side up, and roast for about 25 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the peels curl up.
4. Remove the nuts from the oven and let them cool down a bit, but you’ll want to remove the shells and skins while they are still hot.
5. To make the chestnut syrup, combine the water, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and orange zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
6. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat, let cool and strain out the zest.
7. Add the sugar mixture to a mason jar along with the 1 cup of roasted chestnuts and whisky.
8. Transfer to the fridge and let sit for at least five days before using.

We used this syrup to make a Chestnut Old Fashioned, and it was delicious. You can grab the recipe here.