The fresh and botanical syrup is just the thing for winter cocktails and lattes.
I am endlessly curious about flavored simple syrups. As someone who loves to experiment with lattes and cocktails all year long, I’m always on the lookout for seasonal flavor inspiration to add to my concoctions, from creamy carrot cake lattes to a bold dirty chai espresso martini. So I was excited when syrup brand Torani offered to give me a sneak peek at its 2026 flavor of the year.
Torani first sent a teaser package hinting at what the flavor would be, complete with a bandana decorated with trees and a riddle about pinecones and “fragrant green.” It promised the new syrup would be “adventurous” and “fresh.” I polled my Taste of Home colleagues and we decided it must be something botanical—perhaps pine tips or spruce tips?
A botanical syrup (as opposed to a sweeter simple syrup) can be controversial, but one of my favorite syrup flavors is rosemary, so I was feeling optimistic about Torani’s new product.
What is Torani’s 2026 flavor of the year?
My coworkers were right: The Torani 2026 flavor of the year is… Forest Pine! Torani describes it as a “fusion of pine, ginger and sage.” When tasting the syrup, I couldn’t detect notes of ginger. Even though ginger is a strong flavor on its own, pine is even stronger, so it makes sense that the notes of pine come out on top.
It’s a dark-colored syrup that’s part of the brand’s Puremade collection, which means it’s made with pure cane sugar and no artificial colors. That makes for a more subdued-looking drink, which I like.
To sample the syrup, I started with an iced pine latte. I didn’t go overboard with the syrup, so it was refreshing and just sweet enough. In fact, it reminded me of rosemary syrup.
How can you use Forest Pine syrup?
Since the syrup is sweet with a hint of outdoorsy freshness, you have to be deliberate about pairing it with complementary flavors. My pine syrup latte was made with 1 tablespoon of syrup, 8 ounces of milk and 2 shots of espresso.
Pine syrup also sounds like a match for one of our gin cocktails, since gin is infused with juniper berries and already has a slightly piney taste. I whipped up a cranberry cocktail with 1.5 ounces of gin, 3 ounces of cranberry juice and 1 tablespoon of pine syrup, plus sparkling water to the top of the glass. It was delicious, and so Christmasy.
For future experimentation, I’ll try Torani’s recipe recommendations:
- Trailblazer Cold Brew: 1 ounce of pine syrup, 6 ounces of cold brew, 2 ounces of milk.
- Snow Cap Forest Matcha: 1 ounce of pine syrup, 2 ounces of matcha, and 6 ounces of milk, topped with cold foam made with 2 ounces of whipping cream and 1/2 ounce of Torani vanilla salt syrup.
- Wild Grove Refresher: 1 ounce of pine syrup, 6 ounces of sparkling water and 2 ounces of lemonade.
How long is Torani’s 2026 flavor of the year available?
The pine syrup is now a permanent flavor in Torani’s Puremade collection, available on Torani’s website.
