If Sichuan and black peppercorns are unavailable, use 2 ½ teaspoons crushed allspice berries. You'll yield about ½ cup (125ml) from each batch.
Ingredients
2teaspoonsSichuan peppercorns
½teaspoonblack peppercorns
⅓cup(65g) sugar
Zest of 1 tangerine
½cup(125ml) freshly squeezed tangerine juice
Instructions
Lightly crush the Sichuan and black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or in a ziptop freezer bag with a hammer or rolling pin. Warm the peppercorns in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they smell fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the sugar, then stir in the tangerine zest and juice. Warm the mixture over medium-high heat until it just begins to boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 4 hours. Rewarm the syrup, then strain it through a mesh strainer set over a small bowl, pressing on the peppercorns and zest with a flexible silicone spatula to extract as much flavor as you can. Pour the syrup into a clean jar. Cool, then cover and refrigerate.
Notes
Bar syrups like this one keep well for about one week. After that, they'll be less potent so use a little extra should you keep yours for longer. This recipe comes from David Lebovitz's Drinking French (Ten Speed Press, 2020).