Gomme Sirop, Gomme Arabic or Gum Syrup

When made with cane sugar (not beet sugar) this syrup is the king of sugar syrups, delivering the sweetness of 2:1 sugar syrup but with extra viscosity provided by the addition of Gum Arabic - so much extra viscosity that it can add a discernible smoothness to cocktails as diverse as the Daiquiri to the Old-Fashioned.

Most of the companies that commercially make this syrup are French, so it tends to be called gomme sirop, but is simply gum syrup in English. Like many others, I tend to mix its French and English names, using gomme syrup when I refer to it.

Gomme syrup was widely in use in the mid-1800s, and E. Ricket and C. Thomas' 1871 Gentleman's Table Guide includes the following recipe:
"Dissolve 1 lb. of the best white gum Arabic in 1½ pints of water, nearly boiling; 3ilbs. Of white sugar or candy; melt and clarify it with half pint of cold water; add the gum solution and boil altogether for two minutes. This gum is for cocktails."

Gum arabic, the essential ingredient to this wonderful syrup, is also known as gum acacia or meska. This fine white powder is made from the hardened sap of two species of the acacia tree: Senegalia (Acacia) senegal and Vachellia (Acacia) seyal. Gum Arabic is used in the food industry as a stabiliser and has the E number E414. It is also used in cosmetics, inks, and the textile industry, and is the glue traditionally used on postage stamps. Artists will be familiar with gum arabic for its use as a binder in watercolours.

How to make gum syrup

When you come to make gum syrup for the first time, you realise why its use has declined. While it takes only a few minutes to make 2:1 sugar syrup, just teasing the gum arabic powder into a paste and then a solution takes at least ten minutes. Then you add your sugar and clarify. It's a bit of a faff but worth the effort. [To be honest, I usually decide it's not and use commercially made gomme syrup.]

1. Start by measuring one cup of filtered or mineral water and ¼ cup of gum arabic powder (powdered crystals).

2. Like cornflour or cornstarch, gum arabic forms clumps when it comes into contact with water and is best first mixed with water at room temperature rather than hot water. Tip the gum arabic into a mixing bowl and add a small amount of the water from the mug. Using the back of a spoon to first mix the gum arabic and water into a paste, gradually adding the rest of the water, then into a straw-yellow, thick solution with a foamy head. This process takes 5 to 10 minutes but can feel like an eternity, so put on a podcast or music before you start.

3. Pour your gum arabic and water solution into a saucepan over very low heat and add one cup of caster (not granulated) sugar. Stir the sugar into the solution until all the sugar has dissolved.

4. Gradually add a second cup of caster sugar into the saucepan, stirring as the sugar is added.

5. Gently heating helps the sugar to dissolve in the water, but it's best not to let the water even come close to boiling, so gently heat just long enough to dissolve the sugar.
6. Cover and allow syrup to cool. You will end up with a thick, straw-yellow syrup with a white, foamy head. It helps if you cover and leave this to stand for at least 24 hours.
7. Pouring through a fine strainer into a sterile container with a tap near its base, and leave for 24 hours to settle and clarify. Draw off your gomme syrup through the tap to separate from any settled deposits and foamy head.
8. Place in a sealed sterile bottle and place in a refrigerator, where your gomme syrup will keep for six months.