Lyle’s Golden Syrup has remained unchanged since it was first made in East London in 1881. This sugar cane syrup is light and sweet, with just enough flavor to keep it interesting. The slightly caramelized notes make this perfect for drizzling over pancakes or adding to pecan pie, but its rich buttery taste also works well for a savory soup or stew. And while this versatile syrup will no doubt get a workout as a pantry staple, the classic decorative tin is reason enough to buy it. Repurpose these tins by upcycling them to house a scented candle, potted plant, sewing kit, pens and pencils, or use them collectively to organize small kitchen items.

Treacle is dark, thick, shiny syrup that is a mixture of cane molasses and syrup. Originally produced by Lyle’s in East London in 1950, it is similar to American blackstrap molasses, but thicker, with an even stronger bittersweet flavor. It’s much more intense than golden syrup or cane syrup, making it ideal for lending depth to desserts, gingerbread, savory dishes, glazes and marinades. And while this versatile syrup will no doubt get a workout as a pantry staple, the classic decorative tin is reason enough to buy it. Repurpose the tins to house a scented candle, potted plant, sewing kit, pens and pencils, or use them collectively to organize small kitchen items.

Steen’s is a 4th-generation family company making cane sugar products that became a household staple for Southern Louisiana families in the 1950s. Their dark unsulphured molasses is rich and sweet with an almost tangy flavor—with much more complexity than what you can find in the grocery store. Unlike robust or black strap molasses, it has very little bitterness and an almost smoky flavor. Steen’s molasses works just as well in sweet classics like gingerbread cookies and cake as it does in savory applications like barbecue sauces.

This sweet, rich syrup is a staple in Southern cooking and is our go-to for a lighter but still flavorful alternative to molasses. Steen’s is made from 100% pure cane syrup with nothing added or extracted. Whereas molasses is a by-product of sugar refining, cane syrup is made from raw pressed cane juice that’s boiled down. Lighter in both color and flavor compared to molasses, this thick syrup makes a great option for those looking for the heady essence of molasses without the bitterness and acidity. Perfect for serving alongside biscuits or in any recipes that call for molasses.

Organic Ginger Syrup has a flavor like high-quality candied ginger; the fresher, sharper notes have been cooked off, but the syrup is still punchy. We love how balanced it is between the vibrant ginger spice and the sweetness of the syrup. It's delicious simply mixed with seltzer water or added to tea. You can also use it for making desserts or, on the savory side, try it as part of a meat glaze with soy sauce and rice vinegar. This small-batch, shelf-stable syrup is prepared in an organic kitchen in Greenfield, Massachusetts with ginger fresh from the producer's organic farm in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Kithul syrup is a unique tasting sweetener that is harvested from Kithul palms and concentrated into a thick smoky-sweet, earthy syrup. This vegan, preservative-free sweetener is widely used in traditional Sri Lankan desserts, but we also like its complex flavor in cocktails. With a distinct umami quality unlike other sweeteners, it’s a particularly good complement to more savory dishes like curries. And unlike most commercial kithul, Kimbula kithul is refined sugar-free and confirmed on the low-glycemic index for those looking to reduce their sugar intake.

Created in the Dolomite Alps National Park in Trento, Italy, by forager Eleonora Cunaccia, this unique syrup has a distinct flavor and fascinating origin story. To begin the process of making the syrup, Cunaccia first collects young buds from the Mugo pine, then macerates them in water and sugar for several months, before filtering and aging the sap and finally cooking it over a low fire with more sugar. The results of the syrup are stunning, producing a deeply earthy and sweet flavor with dark caramel notes, delicate maple, rosemary, wild rhubarb and just a bit of herbal pine. Its unique evergreen flavor works equally well as a drizzle over desserts or roasted meats.

Pomegranate molasses, an indispensable ingredient in many cuisines from the Eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia, is the result of boiling pomegranate juice until it condenses to a concentrated sweet-tart powerhouse. Each bottle of producer Chafic Maalouf’s small-batch version, exclusively sold at Milk Street, is made from the juice of 5 kilos of Lebanese pomegranates using methods that have been practiced for generations. Unlike more common thicker versions, this molasses has a thinner viscosity that spreads rather than sticks when poured, combined with the perfect balance of sugars and acidity. It carries multiple layers of complex aromas and flavors ranging from smoke, tobacco, balsamic, citrus and berries, all engulfed in a subtle, well-rounded sweetness.

Unlike other Grade A syrups, which can often come across too delicate for full-fledged maple lovers like us, this one—winner of a 2020 Good Food Award—is incredibly rich and complex. That’s because it’s aged in rye whiskey barrels, which impart the spirit’s distinctive spicy, warming taste into the syrup to further bring out its maple flavor. The result is an amber wonder—bold butterscotch notes at the fore followed by soft, warm spice and caramelized sugar undertones. It’s not boozy and smoky as you might expect, but rather rounded, earthy and complex. Like a fine wine, the syrup’s flavor blooms the longer it sits on your tongue.

This incredibly rich syrup has notes of butterscotch, honey and toasted sugar, with a heady base of vanilla and dried fruit. A member of our kitchen team likened its richness to a melted Werther's candy. It’s medium-bodied, which means it can easily be drizzled, but never too watery like store-bought versions. Compared to others, this one has a strong “true maple” flavor to it—nothing like more run-of-the-mill syrups that often have an off pine taste. 

I discovered this Pomegranate Molasses from Mymouné through a Cambridge restaurant called Moona; the Lebanese company makes all of its products by hand in small batches, and their pomegranate molasses is the sharpest and brightest I have ever tasted. The bottle will last a long time, and it is so much better than the sweeter, less balanced supermarket products. It's a a powerhouse ingredient used throughout the cooking of the Middle East and the Caucasus region that I guarantee you'll love. — Christopher Kimball

This mulberry syrup is from Mymouné, the same folks who make our favorite pomegranate molasses. This syrup contains nothing more than wild mulberries, sugar and fresh lemon juice; there are no colorants or preservatives added. It has a fruity, slightly astringent flavor and we love it over yogurt, ice cream, waffles, or pancakes and in soda water.

This malty maple syrup is made from Grade A Amber Rich syrup before being aged for two and a half to three months in charred oak bourbon barrels from a small craft distillery in Chicago. Though lighter in color compared to the Grade B, the sweetness of the pure Vermont syrup is balanced beautifully by dark bourbon flavor, which comes through clearly, along with strong whiskey notes that spread across your tongue. The flavor lingers too, leaving behind a touch of leather from the oak barrel and a faint tingle from the whiskey burn.

The first ingredient in this Grenadine syrup by Blossoms Syrup is real fruit juice concentrate, unlike many other versions we’ve tried that end up tasting artificial. Popularized by the classic American drink, the Shirley Temple, grenadine is traditionally made from pomegranate, but most modern grenadines are actually nothing but sugar water, flavorings and dyes. Blossoms’ rendition is a deeply hued, sweet and tart syrup, purposely NOT made with pomegranate, because it normally gets lost and muddled by all of the other fruit flavors that make up grenadine. Instead, this syrup focuses on a mixture of blackberry, raspberry, blackcurrant and elderberry to get its tangy, balanced grenadine flavor. It hits all the marks, and doesn’t contain any colorings or flavorings. Use it in cocktails or mix with soda water for a refreshing drink, or drizzle on desserts.

The first ingredient in this Passionfruit Syrup by Blossoms Syrup is real passion fruit juice concentrate, so the syrup actually tastes like passion fruit, not a laboratory formulation of what passion fruit should taste like. One of our favorites from the company, we see why this was the winner of a Great Taste award in 2012 and 2019. It’s sweet—but not cloyingly so—and levels out with a balanced tartness. It hits all the marks, and doesn’t contain any colorings or flavorings. Use it in cocktails or drizzle on desserts. The founders at Blossoms even like swirling it in yogurt.

The first ingredient in this Pomegranate Syrup by Blossoms Syrup is real pomegranate fruit juice concentrate, so the syrup actually tastes like pomegranate, not a laboratory formulation of what pomegranate should taste like. For the traditionalist who prefers pomegranate in their grenadine, this pure pomegranate syrup is a great option, as the fruit flavor doesn’t get lost or muddled. Winner of a Great Taste winner in 2018, it’s tart and tangy with just enough sweetness to keep it from tasting sour. It hits all the marks, and doesn’t contain any colorings or flavorings. Use it in cocktails or drizzle on desserts. We love it swirled into yogurt and granola.