Cane syrup
Sweetener
Top 10 pairings
Cane syrup is a dark, pouring syrup made by boiling down whole sugarcane juice until it concentrates into a thick, glossy, burnt-gold syrup. Unlike molasses, nothing is removed — no sugar crystals are spun out — so it keeps all of the cane's sweetness alongside a rich, faintly bitter, rum-and-caramel depth. It sits a step darker than golden syrup and a step sweeter than molasses, and is the defining sweetener of Cajun and Creole Louisiana, where the brand Steen's has been the archetype since 1910.
Picking a good onedrag
Sealed, glossy, rum-toffee darkFizzing, fuzzy, off
Open and in useEveryday bestWipe the thread and cap it tight after each pour. The working can: gingerbread, pralines, baked beans, glazes, stirred into coffee.
Colour and the pourPaler or darker than the last can you bought - kettle time varies, and both pour the same
Smell it off a clean spoonSweet and treacly but quieter, the rum and toffee faded - an older can, or a milder cook
The can, cap and sealOpen and in use - a sticky ring run down the side and dried syrup on the thread
Read the labelA whole-cane syrup from the Caribbean or the Deep South - no brand you know, but still just cane juice