Sirap Bandung or Rose Syrup with Milk is a deliciously sweet and creamy drink that smells of roses. Especially if that rose syrup is homemade!
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Sirap Bandung
Let’s do the pronunciation exercise as usual, first.
- Sirap = see (short) – rup
- Bandung = bun – dohng (silent h)
Sirap is basically the Malay spelling of syrup.
And the word bandung means pairs, or to go together. So in this instance the rose syrup and milk.
Despite its name, sirap bandung has nothing to do with the Indonesian city of Bandung, and is not really a drink found in Indonesia.
It has been one of my favourite drinks since I was a little kid. And it still is. While you can get this mix of rose syrup with milk throughout the year, it’s one of those things that’s synonymous with Ramadan, the fasting month, in both Singapore and Malaysia.
Homemade Sirap Bandung
This part is easy. But first you need rose syrup. Now, getting your hands on rose syrup may not be the easiest thing for some of you, but you should definitely be able to find it in related ethnic stores. And online, of course, that goes without saying.
But the good news is, I have long had a cheat’s homemade rose syrup on LinsFood, and that is super easy to do. In fact, you’ll be pleased to know that I have recipes for the cheat rose syrup, as well as the one using real rose petals.
Click on the links below if you’d like to try your hand at them. Homemade, even the cheat one, is so much better than shop bought! To make the cheat’s version, all you need is rose water, which is widely found in baking aisles, next to the vanilla and orange flower water.
Sirap Bandung Recipe
So all you need is 3 ingredients:
- Rose Syrup
- Water (to dilute the syrup)
- Milk
Rose Syrup is a cordial, so you treat it like one. Usually, the ratio is 1 part rose syrup to 3 parts water, to make it into a rose syrup drink.
To make air bandung (as it’s also called), we can use fresh milk, or my favourite, evaporated milk. The latter gives a creamier result. Condensed milk, in my opinion, makes the drink way too sweet.
So in the recipe card below, I’ll give you 2 versions:
- 1 with evaporated milk
- the other, with just fresh milk (or UHT)
And on that note, shall we go take a look at the recipes?
More Recipes to Enjoy!
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And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood
Lin xx
Sirap Bandung (Rose Syrup with Milk)
Equipment
- a glass
Ingredients
Sirap Bandung with Evaporated Milk
- 75 ml rose syrup 1 part
- 150 ml water 2 parts
- 75 ml evaporated milk, semi skimmed works well too 1 part
Sirap Bandung with Fresh or UHT Milk
- 75 ml rose syrup
- 225 ml fresh or UHT milk 3 parts (OR 2 parts milk + 1 part water, see Notes)
Instructions
Sirap Bandung with Evaporated Milk
- Dilute the rose syrup with the water, and stir to mix.
- Add the evaporated milk, stir and enjoy. You could add an ice cube or two, if you fancy. Of course, you can just add all the ingredients together and stir, but there is something so mesmerising about adding milk to the pink drink, that I've always done it this way!
Sirap Bandung with Fresh or UHT Milk
- Add the milk to the rose syrup to dilute and turn it into sirap bandung. If this is too milky for you, reduce the milk by 1 part and top with water. Again, add ice cubes if you like.
What a delightful drink this is. Thank you for introducing it to us. We managed to find a bottle of rose syrup online and were tickled pink with the combination!
I see what you did there – tickled pink! My pleasure, Rita, pleased to hear you enjoyed it.
I’ve never had anything like this before. It was so delicious, I couldn’t stop drinking it!
Haha, now that I can totally identify with. I’m pleased you loved it, Mary.
Can I use organic rose buds/petals found in bulk stores that are usually used for steeping tea if I’m unable to find fresh organic rose petals?
Hi Jaclyn, dried roses and petals won’t work for making rose syrup, I’m afraid. The fragrance and flavour isn’t quite the same. You are definitely better off using rose water to add the rose flavour and aroma. In fact, it’s better than using fresh roses, inm my opinion. Rose water should be easily available next to the vanilla in baking aisles. Otherwise, Amazon definitely stocks it, as will Ebay sellers, depending on where you are.
Thanks for the advice. I got the rose water yesterday. for the food colouring, do you think I can use beetroot or pomegranate juice?
I think beetroot will be strong a flavour, it will completely mask the subtle rose. You’re probably better off using raspberries, I think.
This was great for Iftar yesterday! We made it with fresh milk and going to try the evaporated milk today. Thank you Azlin.
A pleasure, I’m pleased you like it.