It’s a spring Tuesday, and Bill Miller is ready to transform 22 pounds of strawberries into 10 gallons of strawberry basil syrup for Crescent Simples, the small-batch company he co-founded with his wife, Megan. Bill describes production as like brewing a big cup of tea: combining sugar and water into huge pots with spigots, adding brewer bags with strawberries and fresh basil, bringing it to a boil, and, wearing a pair of barbecue grilling gloves, squeezing the bags to extract as much flavor, color, and acidity as possible. Once the pH levels are tested for food safety, the syrups are hand-poured into eight-ounce bottles. The result, like all of Crescent Simples’ fruit-herb syrups, is a vibrant, flavorful, and preservative-free syrup that adds dimension to cocktails, desserts, and savory dishes, too.
The Millers met while bartending at Lula Restaurant Distillery in New Orleans, where they first started making syrups. Customers started asking for them, and the Millers realized there was a retail opportunity for simple syrups crafted only with fresh fruit, herbs, raw sugar, and water. When they moved to Charlottesville to be closer to family, they began their venture, selling labels like Blueberry Lavender, Strawberry Basil, Blackberry Vanilla, and Grapefruit Rosemary at local farmers markets, then adding Peach Hibiscus and Lime Jalapeño. They built a following beyond the market, but the pandemic hit shut down their kitchen facility. They began commuting to utilize Hatch in Richmond and eventually relocated there.
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The key to Crescent Simples’ success has been an unwavering commitment to quality. That means flavors like peach hibiscus are only made with summer peaches from Charlottesville’s Carter Mountain Orchard. “We’re really excited about using fresh fruit and herbs and peak products, something that tastes like eating a fresh peach in the summer,” Megan says. Peak-season blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are sourced from Hanover County’s AgriBerry Farm and CSA, which supplies most of the strawberries for the Strawberry Basil syrup. “Even the color is affected by it,” Megan says. “The strawberries are allowed to fully ripen in the field, so they’re red all the way through.”
Crescent Simples’ lineup also includes Old Fashioned, a spiced orange syrup; Apple Spice; Raspberry Rose; Grenadine; Cranberry Ginger; and Tonic, which took Bill 16 iterations before he nailed the robust, bright flavor profile with a traditional dry finish. The syrups shine in cocktails; one of the Millers’ go-tos for parties is Planter’s Punch, where Peach Hibiscus syrup adds a juicy sweetness to the bourbon-spiked iced tea (see the recipe below). They’re also excellent in tea, soda, coffee, lemonade, or mocktails — Bill estimates that 30% of their customer base doesn’t drink alcohol, so many of Crescent Simples’ online recipes include zero-proof options.
The syrups are finding their way into the kitchen, too. “We’ve found anywhere you have sugar in a recipe, they can be used as a more full-flavored substitute,” Bill says, noting that customers use syrups to make ice cubes and homemade ice cream. On the savory side, they might employ Lime Jalapeño to finish guacamole or the Old Fashioned to balance umami-forward, Asian-style marinades.
Crescent Simples syrups are sold in Richmond specialty shops, like Union Market and Stella’s Grocery, and online, including their own website. Richmond beverage professionals have taken note, too. Cirrus Vodka used the Blackberry Vanilla in their tasting room's cocktails and mocktails, and Perk! Coffee & Lunchbox uses the Apple Spice and Raspberry Rose syrups in tea lattes and matcha drinks, respectively. Fancy yourself a budding home mixologist or need a fun gift idea? Crescent Simples launched a home bar gift box, which includes a cocktail shaker, bar spoon, jigger, and three best-selling syrups.
Planter's Punch
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 ½ cups iced unsweetened black tea
1 cup bourbon*
¾ cup Crescent Simples Peach Hibiscus simple syrup
½ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
12 dashes angostura bitters
*This is a flexible recipe, so you can trade the bourbon for dark rum, if you prefer.
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a large pitcher and stir until combined. Serve over ice.
