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Black forest syrup is a cherry and chocolate flavoured syrup inspired by the classic Black Forest gateau, pairing dark cherry sweetness with a cocoa note. Cafes and home baristas use it in lattes, mochas, milkshakes and hot chocolate, typically at 15 to 30ml per drink depending on cup size.
What is black forest syrup?
The gateau it takes its name from is a German dessert: chocolate sponge, morello cherries, kirsch and cream. The syrup condenses that idea into a flavouring you can pump into a cup in under a second.
It sits at the dessert end of the range rather than the fruit end. Where plain cherry is bright and sharp, black forest is built to go creamy and round once it meets steamed milk.
Simply Black Forest Syrup is the version we stock, £3.25 ex VAT for a 1 litre bottle. That is a low-risk way to trial a seasonal drink without committing to a case of something niche. It comes from the IBC Simply range.
What does it taste like?
Dark cherry comes first, closer to a cooked or preserved cherry than a fresh one. Behind it sits cocoa, which stops the fruit running thin, and the finish is sweet without being cloying in milk. On its own it tastes confected. Judge it in the cup, not off the spoon.
Milk rounds out the cherry and pushes the chocolate forward. In black coffee the fruit stays prominent and can read slightly medicinal if you overdose it, so keep espresso builds at the lower end. For a visible cherry element on top, a thicker sauce does a job syrup cannot: Simply Cherry Topping Sauce at £10.75 ex VAT for 1kg holds its shape on cream, as does the rest of the topping sauces range.
How to use black forest syrup in drinks
Syrup goes into the cup first, before the espresso and milk. The shot pouring onto it does most of the mixing, and you avoid a sugary slick sitting at the bottom of a takeaway cup.
Free-pouring from the bottle is fine at home and a liability behind a busy bar. A calibrated pump gives a consistent 10ml every time, which matters when three staff are building the same drink across a shift.
- 8oz latte or flat white: 15ml, roughly one and a half pumps
- 12oz latte or mocha: 20 to 30ml, two or three pumps
- Hot chocolate: 15ml, since the drink already carries cocoa
- Iced drinks: go 5ml higher, as cold and dilution flatten sweetness
- Milkshake: 30ml per 12oz, blended with the base
Three black forest drinks worth trying
Black forest mocha
Two pumps of syrup, a standard scoop of hot chocolate powder, a double espresso, then steamed milk. Cream and a drizzle of cherry sauce on top if you are selling it as a dessert drink at a premium.
Iced black forest latte
Three pumps into the glass, stir through 50ml of cold milk until dissolved, fill with ice, then pour the double shot over. The syrup is dense enough to stay low in the glass for a layered look.
Black forest milkshake
Vanilla milkshake base, 30ml of syrup, blended with milk and ice. The easiest version to sell to families, and it uses a flavour you already stock for coffee.
Black forest syrup versus cherry syrup
The difference is the cocoa. A cherry syrup gives you one flavour direction and leaves the rest to you; black forest arrives pre-blended as a dessert profile.
| Option | Flavour | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Black forest syrup | Dark cherry with cocoa | Mochas, hot chocolate, dessert milkshakes |
| Plain cherry syrup | Bright, single-note cherry | Iced teas, sodas, custom builds |
| Cherry topping sauce | Thick, concentrated cherry | Drizzling over cream and desserts |
On a small menu, black forest earns its place faster because it does two jobs in one bottle. Larger operations often carry both and blend to taste. The full flavoured syrups range is worth a look before you settle on a line-up.
Storage, shelf life and yield
Store bottles upright at room temperature, out of direct sunlight and away from heat. A shelf above the espresso machine is the worst place for them, however convenient it looks.
- Keep caps tight, or pump collars seated properly, between services
- Wipe pump nozzles daily to stop sugar crusting
- Rotate by best-before date, not by what is nearest the front
- One litre yields roughly 100 pumps at 10ml, so around 40 to 50 drinks
Yield is the useful figure for costing. At £3.25 ex VAT a litre, the syrup element of a flavoured latte comes in at a few pence. Browse the wider syrups category if you are building a full flavour wall.
Where to buy black forest syrup
Orders placed before 4:30pm Monday to Friday dispatch the same day via DPD, and delivery is free on orders over £69 ex VAT to mainland UK. Black forest is a seasonal winner from October onwards and holds up as a milkshake flavour through summer. One bottle is a cheap experiment.
Frequently asked questions
Does black forest syrup contain alcohol?
No. Despite the name referencing a gateau traditionally soaked in kirsch, commercial black forest syrups such as Simply are non-alcoholic flavourings made for coffee and soft drinks. No age checks or licensing involved.
Is black forest syrup suitable for vegans?
Check the label on the bottle you receive, but syrups in this style are typically sugar, water, flavourings and colourings with no animal-derived ingredients, which makes them straightforward alongside plant milks.
How much should I use per drink?
Between 15ml and 30ml per 8 to 12oz drink. Set a pump dispenser to around 10ml and two or three pumps per cup is a sensible starting point before you fine-tune the house recipe.
How long does an opened bottle last?
Several months at room temperature, kept out of sunlight and capped tightly between uses. No refrigeration needed. Check the bottle for its specific best-before guidance after opening.
Ready to add it to the menu? Simply Black Forest Syrup is £3.25 ex VAT per litre and in stock for same-day dispatch on orders placed before 4:30pm. Order Simply Black Forest Syrup
