Recipe - Starfruit Syrup

I've been wanting to get into other areas of food than just cooking such as bartending; however, there are a lot of elements that are necessary in bartending. One that I had always wanted to tackle was creating syrups. When I was in Vietnam, my parents had a bottle of brandy to give to our family but when we realized that they didn't drink, it was up to just a few of us to finish it off. Therefore, I decided it was time to make something so I started off with simple syrup (you can see my makeshift bar equipment below). Then I figured I ought to do something with a Vietnamese flair so starfruit syrup came to mind! Now, starfruit isn't really cheap in the States but if you ever come across a good amount and want to try it out, go for it! The fruit itself is a pretty garnish as well; if you're guessing that the syrup would be tart, don't forget that dissolved sugar and evaporated water leads to sweet stuff. The tartness isn't overbearing at all.

Step 1: Ingredients (makes about 1.5 cups)

• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup starfruit juice
• 1 cup sugar, white

Step 2: Making the syrup
Syrups are fairly easy to be honest. Juice the starfruit (I just crushed them in my hands and removed the skin) and then add some water. Put the liquid into a saucepan and boil. Once it starts boiling, add the sugar and stir until all sugar has dissolved. Let cool. Though I only had brandy to add this to, it doesn't work well with it. I suggest rum and other fruit juices.