What Is 'Toasted Oats Syrup,' The Trendy Ingredient Mixologists Are Talking About?

Author: The Bar Team

A bowl of rolled oats sits on a dark surface with scattered oats, a jar of honey with a dipper, a jar of preserves, and a brown cloth napkin nearby.

It’s that time of the year again when the sun sets a little earlier, there’s a pleasant nip in the air, and coffee shops, bars, and lounges are coming out with seasonal and spiced beverages because ‘Winter Is Coming’ – bet you haven’t heard that one since 2019. All in all, the pumpkin-spiced beverages, the toffee nutmegs, and cinnamon-flavoured drinks are all the rage, but there’s a new player in town and it’s got everyone’s head turned. Toasted oats are a new trend that has earned a place for itself in everything from espresso martini cocktails to tropical tiki cocktails and everybody just loves them!

Best of all, they’re made into this delicious syrup that has a smoky, warm, and delicious taste, almost like drinking breakfast cereal, but in a good way. It’s no secret that even non-vegans and dairy lovers are a fan of oat milk because it’s just so delicious.

A cocktail glass sits on a black glass coffee table next to a large quartz crystal, with a lit fireplace and decorative vases in the background.

So when Laura Unterberg from The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club in Nashville borrowed the bar’s coffee shop’s idea of toasted oats coffee and used it in a cocktail, nobody complained! She made an espresso martini cocktail using vodka, the cafe’s housemade cold brew, Biscotti liqueur, and a homemade syrup that she made by toasting store-brand oats powder with water, honey, maple syrup (yes, some people use both because they can’t get enough of sweet), cinnamon and allspice tincture. The result was a delicious, toasty espresso martini cocktail that makes one feel refreshed and nostalgic at the same time.

The world over, oats is a breakfast cereal and it’s not a rage by itself. You always need to jazz it up with ingredients and elements such as bananas, berries, cinnamon, honey, and (or) maple syrup. However, oats by itself has a strong and distinctive flavour profile. The nutty, sweet, and toasty flavour is only enhanced when you lightly toast them before adding them to a cocktail. Toasted oats syrup is basically toasting oats before combining them with water and sweetener. This syrup then develops a sort of caramel flavour that for all purposes can only earn a thumbs up.

When used in cocktails, it adds a lot of complexity and depth to the texture and flavour profile. You can make a variety of cocktails that are Old Fashioned variations, whisky or bourbon-based, rum cocktails, coffee-based, creamy dessert cocktails, or even nut-based liqueur cocktails. The world is your canvas!

A creamy cocktail in a coupe glass sits on a marbled bar counter, garnished with a flaming marshmallow on a skewer.

To make a Toasted Oats Syrup Old Fashioned, you’ll need 30 ml of bourbon, 15 ml of toasted oats syrup, 2 dashes of Angostura bitters, ice cubes, and an orange peel for garnish. First, in a dry skillet or pan toast 100 gms of oats over medium heat until they’re golden brown for about five minutes. Then combine them with 150 ml of water and 30 gms sweetener and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Then strain the mixture until you have a golden syrup with no bits in it and allow it to cool. You can store this for up to two weeks in the fridge. Combine the bourbon, syrup, and bitters in an Old Fashioned glass with ice and squeeze the orange peel on top to assemble the cocktail. Finally, garnish with the peel.