Sweet as a bird

Flavoured syrup is a dietary staple, right? A fabulous range of products known as Sweetbird has got me thinking that very thought.

A box of vegan goodies from Beyond the Bean wholesalers

A little while ago I was contacted by a friendly human asking if I would be interested in sampling some of their vegan syrups. I hammered out a positive response as quickly as my fat, gay fingers could type. It surely would go against the natural order of the universe for me to decline. It is always lovely to be offered a gift, but I’m a whole lot happier when the gift turns out to be ample amounts of sweet liquids and powdery chocolate.

Sweetbird syrups are distributed and marketed by Bristol-based wholesalers Beyond the Bean. It was the friendly marketing person from Beyond the Bean who kindly put together a gorgeous array of drinks for me to sample. The package that arrived at my door contained three large bottles of syrup (Hazelnut, English Toffee and Toasted Marshmallow), a bag of Zuma organic hot chocolate powder and numerous boxes of Cosy tea bags (including Jasmine, Peppermint, Earl Grey and Chamomile). As if the sight of these tasty-looking libations wasn’t enough to excite me, the parcel also contained the pump dispensers for the syrup bottles, a measuring cup for the hot chocolate and two Zuma-branded coffee mugs.

Now down to business. The Sweetbird syrups are stunning and the range is too big to be listed on my blog. Take a quick stroll through their flavours and you will discover Caramel Fudge, Gingerbread, Irish Cream, Strawberry, Cranberry, Lemon, Pumpkin Spice, White Chocolate, Amaretto and even Raspberry Iced Tea. These seriously-impressive flavours are just the tip of the syrup iceberg.

Vegan English Toffee milkshake made with Beyond the Bean products

Choosing a favourite becomes more testing when you discover the entire range of syrups is certified vegetarian by the Vegetarian Society and vegan by Viva! The only choice is which end of the list to start drinking from.

I was only too happy to experiment with my samples and set to work to create a few treats. First down the hatch was a glorious vegan milkshake consisting of oat milk, Zuma hot chocolate powder and a few liberal splashes of the Sweetbird English Toffee syrup. One word: amazing. The toffee syrup also ended up across a bowl of organic corn flakes and drizzled across a serving of Swedish Glace vegan vanilla ice cream. Both of these experiments will be repeated in the future to ensure findings of deliciousness are consistent.

Toasted Marshmallow hot chocolate topped with vegan mini marshmallows

Buoyed by my milkshake success, I ventured into vegan hot chocolate territory. I warmed oat milk in a pot and carefully stirred in the required (and then some) amount of Zuma hot chocolate powder. As soon as I was satisfied with the chocolate/oat milk concoction, I pumped in a few squirts of the Sweetbird Toasted Marshmallow syrup.

After transferring the sugary broth from pot to mug, I completed the drink with a few mini marshmallows by Sweet Vegan. The hot drink was smooth, sweet and sumptuous… a real chocolate delight.

With so much syrup gifted to me by the generous Beyond the Bean, drinks such as these are sure to be featured heavily throughout the coming months.

When my supply does run dry, I’m heading straight to the Vx boutique in Kings Cross where they make vegan milkshakes on demand using Sweetbird syrups. If you are a lover of vegan sweet drinks, make sure you tell your local coffee house, milkshake parlour or cafe to get in touch with Beyond the Bean.

If you are a food and beverage operator yourself, do yourself and your vegan customers a huge favour and make these syrups part of your practice. These luscious syrups are spreading around the world like wildfire and are becoming increasingly popular throughout the USA. Catch the Sweetbird fever!

Vegan syrups by Sweetbird

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