One Springy Syrup for a Week of Drinks and Desserts

This article is brought to you by our friends at Electrolux as part of an ongoing series focusing on seasonal ingredients. Today: A rhubarb syrup that'll kick up drinks and desserts.

Not until I made Amanda's Rhubarb Orange did I really get rhubarb. It's about coaxing out the flavor, bleeding the stalks dry of what they're not willing to share unless you treat them right. Whether that's through baking, roasting, saucing, compote-ing, or boiling into a syrup, it's your choice.

We're choosing syrup.

The secret to this rhubarb cardamom syrup is to boil the rhubarb until it goes all loose and stringy. You'll want to keep the cardamom pods whole to avoid specks of black or grey floating around in the gorgeously sunset-pink syrup, but feel free to play with the amount you add (4 pods for the cardamom enthusiast, more for the obsessed). Lean over it once the rhubarb goes limp for a big whiff of all of those tart, floral, and slightly sweet notes.

Over the weekend, stock up on a pound of rhubarb, sugar, lemons, and cardamom pods. Follow the recipe, gather complementary ingredients, and you'll have springy drinks and desserts all week, like so:

For non-boozy drinks:

• Add it to sparkling water with a slice of lime
• Try it in your next batch of lemonade, with fresh herbs or some vanilla bean
• Drop some into your next batch of switchel

For more, ahem, spirited options:

• Use the rhubarb cardamom syrup in these Champagne jelly shots

• Switch up the flavor in a bellini

• In the place of honey, try a barspoon of the syrup in a whiskey peach smash

• This Pomelder Prosecco Punch, with its cardamom, ginger, and bubbles, would do well with a stream of rhubarb syrup added

For frozen desserts:

• Swap in rhubarb syrup for the ginger syrup in this egg cream—or split it up so you get both flavors

• Stir some into this genius 1-ingredient ice cream—or any of its variants

• Top off a bowl of Jeni's Splendid Lemon Cream Ice Cream with it

• Couple the syrup with fresh fruit for an Italian ice

What fruit are you making syrup from these days? Tell us how you're using it in the comments below!

This article was brought to you by Electrolux, Food52's test kitchen partner. Electrolux is all about great taste and the appliances to help you make beautiful meals in your own kitchen. Learn more here.