Skinnymixer’s Lemongrass & Lime Leaf Simple Syrup features in the Sweets & Drinks of the cookbook SkinnyAsia 2.

This fragrant simple syrup is one of the easiest ways to add a burst of Southeast Asian-inspired flavour to your drinks.

Fresh lemongrass and makrut lime leaves are infused into a simple sugar syrup that’s perfect for cocktails, mocktails, sparkling water and iced drinks.

Make it ahead and keep it in the fridge so you’re ready for cocktail hour!

What You Will Need

For the complete quantities, see the recipe in SkinnyAsia 2.

Caster sugar
Water
Fresh lemongrass
Makrut lime leaves

That’s it!

One batch makes approximately 1 cup of syrup, which is enough for around 12 cocktails.

How to Prepare Lemongrass

For this recipe, use the tender white part of the lemongrass stalk.

Trim away the tougher green tops, then bruise the lemongrass before thinly slicing it.

Bruising helps release those beautifully fragrant oils so they can infuse into the syrup.

What are Makrut Lime Leaves?

Makrut lime leaves are intensely fragrant citrus leaves commonly used throughout Southeast Asian cooking.

You’ll often find them fresh or frozen at Asian grocers, with some supermarkets also stocking them.

For this recipe, scrunch the leaves in your hands before adding them to the syrup. This helps release their fragrant oils.

You’ll notice the recipe calls for 6 double leaves. A double leaf is the distinctive joined pair that looks a little like two leaves connected end-to-end.

Let it Infuse

Once the syrup has finished cooking, leave the lemongrass and lime leaves in the liquid for another 30 minutes.

This gives the aromatics time to infuse without needing to continually boil the syrup.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, gently pressing the aromatics, then allow the syrup to cool.

How Much Do I Use?

For the cocktails in SkinnyAsia 2, use approximately:

20 g or 0.7 oz syrup per cocktail.

You can always adjust this depending on how sweet you like your drinks.

More Ways to Use It

Don’t save this syrup just for cocktails!

Try adding a little to:

Mocktails
Sparkling water
Soda water with fresh lime
Iced tea
Tropical fruit drinks
Homemade lemonade

Start with a small amount, taste and add more as needed.

Storage & Freezing

Store the cooled syrup in an airtight bottle or container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

You can also freeze it in small portions so you always have some ready to go.

An ice cube tray is particularly handy for creating individual portions.

Dietary & Recipe Variations

LOW CARB
Use your preferred compliant sweetener.

PALEO
Use honey or maple syrup for a lighter-coloured syrup. Coconut sugar also works but will create a much darker syrup and may change the appearance of your finished drinks.

FREEZER FRIENDLY
Freeze in individual portions so you’re always ready for cocktail hour.

DOUBLED / TRIPLED
The recipe can be doubled. If you’re making a triple batch for a party, use the conventional method.

Get the Recipe

The complete Lemongrass & Lime Leaf Simple Syrup recipe, including Thermo cooker and conventional methods, is available in SkinnyAsia 2.

From the Testing Team

Linda B. – I made the paleo version with maple syrup and it is delicious!
Angie G. – The syrup tastes yummy Cooked in TM6, I ended up with 246g. I will be making non alcoholic cocktails with it
Deb D. – This smells divine! Can’t wait for drinks over the weekend
Linda – What an absolute gem! We are so lucky to have a makrut lime tree and lemongrass in the garden so sourcing ingredients was a breeze. I could drink this straight but promise I’ll dilute it with spritzed rainwater from the Soda Stream.
Veronica B. – Love this syrup flavour is fresh and delicious
Julie H. – OMG i could add this to anything. So so good
Krisha G. – Very fragrant, love this

Some other Thermomix Cocktail recipes you might love:

Want to know more about SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook?

SkinnyAsia 2 is a collection of Thermomix & Conventional cooking recipes. All of our cookbooks have a strong focus on Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Egg Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian and Low FODMAP.