Pink Grapefruit Guava Simple Syrup

I am obsessed with fruit right now. I just want to eat berries for breakfast, pears for lunch, and peaches for dinner. The local grocery has a basket of guavas next to the register and they've gotten me twice in the past few weeks! They are so fragrant and exotic, like a special treat that also happens to make the whole kitchen smell amazing. While I've mostly been snacking on them like apples, I managed to reserve a few for experimenting. I cooked up a few delicious, refreshing soda syrups using organic, locally-grown pink grapefruit and Meyer lemon.

Ingredients:

2-3 ripe guavas

1 ruby red grapefruit

1 small lemon (optional)

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

Directions:

Slice and chop the guava fruit; zest and juice the grapefruit and half the lemon. Combine the citrus zest, sugar and 1 cup water in a non-reactive pot (glass or stainless steel). Bring to a boil and stir often until sugar is dissolved and bubbles the size of nickels simmer to the surface. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. 

In the meantime, combine guava with 1 cup water. Heat to boiling and then simmer over medium to medium-high heat for ten minutes. Don't worry if you aren't into the smell right now; hot guava is different from cold guava. Let cool before straining the fruit out of the water. Strain the citrus zest from the other mixture as well. I used a fine sieve because I had it, and I don't mind fruit pulp. But also consider cheesecloth or even a coffee filter (the thin kind meant for machines) to thoroughly strain the solids out of liquids.

Stir together the guava liquid, sugar mixture and citrus juice. Store in the fridge and use to garnish cocktails or combine about 1 ounce with ice and sparkling water. I also made more straight Meyer lemon syrup that has proven super summery. Just use this recipe. Enjoy!