Ginger Syllabub

An English dessert cocktail of sherry, brown sugar, lemon juice, nutmeg, ginger and whipped cream folded with minced ginger. Two tablespoons sherry, three of brown sugar, half a pint of cream, served in a coupe or wine glass. Drinks rich, spiced and dessert-sweet.

Ginger Syllabub

4.39 from 18 votes

Calories: 156kcal

Prep Time: 3

Total Time: 5

Instructions

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1. Put the sherry. sugar. spices. and lemon juice into a large mixing bowl. and stir until well-blended. Leave to soak for at least half an hour. 2. Beat the cream until it is stiff. Fold in the chopped ginger. Chill thoroughly. 3. Before serving.

Estimated Nutrition:

Calories: 156kcal (8%)Carbohydrates: 9g (3%)Sugar: 8g (9%)

Punch

Where it came from

The Syllabub is one of the oldest English drinks still in print, dating to the late 1500s as a country-house dessert. Cream was poured from a height into a sweet wine to froth on contact, named for the bubbles forming on top. Over the next four centuries the recipe shifted from a frothed-cream pour to a whipped-cream fold; the modern Syllabub is the whipped version with sherry, sugar and citrus.

It sits in the dessert-drink family with the Posset, the Eggnog and the Brandy Alexander. All four lean on a dairy base plus a sweet wine or spirit for the dessert pour. The Ginger Syllabub separates itself with the candied-ginger fold, which gives a sharp spice note in a category dominated by nutmeg-and-cinnamon profiles.

Best served as a dessert drink at a holiday table or as a chilled spoonable course in a coupe glass, not at a craft cocktail bar. The drink eats and drinks at the same time; spoon the cream off the top, sip the sherry-and-citrus underneath.

What it tastes like

Sharp candied ginger on top, soft whipped cream and brown sugar through the middle, sweet sherry and lemon citrus on the finish. The nutmeg and ground ginger sit in the cream layer; the lemon-and-sherry sit underneath. Eats and drinks like a chilled dessert in a glass, halfway between a mousse and a cocktail.

Around 4 to 6 percent ABV in the glass, depending on the cream-to-sherry ratio. Two tablespoons of sherry at 18 percent ABV folded into half a pint of whipped cream gives a low-strength dessert pour; the alcohol is a flavour accent, not the load. One Syllabub is closer to a wine pour than a cocktail.

The technique

Combine two tablespoons sherry, three tablespoons brown sugar, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of ground ginger and the juice of half a lemon in a large mixing bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves; rest at least thirty minutes. Whip half a pint of cream to stiff peaks. Fold in two or three tablespoons of minced candied ginger. Spoon over the sherry mixture in coupe or wine glasses. Chill thoroughly before serving.

The rest is the technique. The sherry-and-sugar mixture needs at least thirty minutes for the brown sugar to dissolve fully and the spices to bloom; skipping the rest gives a grainy texture and a thin spice profile. Whip the cream just before folding so the fold holds; pre-whipped cream collapses under the candied ginger.

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Ingredient Spotlight

The bottles that make or break this drink.

The sherry

Use: A sweet cream sherry, an oloroso or a Pedro Ximenez at 18 percent ABV.
Skip: Dry fino or manzanilla. Wrong sweetness curve for the dessert.
Why: Sweet sherry is the load-bearing flavour and the natural sweetness. The oloroso and Pedro Ximenez profiles deliver dried-fruit and nut notes that bridge the brown sugar and the cream; dry sherries strip the sweetness and the dessert reads sour.

The cream

Use: Heavy whipping cream at 35 percent fat or higher, fresh and cold.
Skip: Half-and-half or light cream. Will not hold a whipped peak.
Why: Heavy cream is the structure and the texture. The high-fat content lets the cream whip to stiff peaks that hold the candied-ginger fold; lower-fat creams collapse and the Syllabub reads as a thin sherry-and-cream pour rather than a spoonable dessert.

The candied ginger

Use: Crystallised candied ginger, minced fine.
Skip: Fresh ginger root. Too sharp, no sweetness, breaks the cream.
Why: Candied ginger is the sharp accent and the chew. The crystallised-sugar coating holds the spice in suspension within the whipped cream; fresh ginger water-logs the cream and the fold collapses.

Three Variations

Three real ways bartenders riff on this drink. Same idea, three different jackets.

The standard build

Ginger Syllabub, in a coupe: Sherry-and-sugar base in the bottom of a coupe, whipped cream with candied ginger spooned on top. Chill thirty minutes before serving.

The frothed build

Old-style Syllabub: Pour the cream from a height of 18 inches into the sherry mixture so it froths on contact. Older method, less stable, drinks closer to a wine.

The brandy build

Brandy Syllabub: Substitute brandy or Madeira for the sherry. Different fortified-wine profile, holds the dessert structure.

What if I don't have…

Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.

No sherry?

Madeira, port or a sweet white wine like Sauternes. Different flavour profile, holds the sweet-fortified-wine slot.

No candied ginger?

Stem ginger in syrup, drained and minced. Different texture, holds the sweet-spice character.

No fresh lemon?

Bottled lemon juice. Different brightness, holds the citrus cut.

No coupe?

A small wine glass or a dessert bowl works. The visual is the layered cream-on-sherry; any clear glass shows it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.

What is in a Ginger Syllabub?

Two tablespoons sherry, three tablespoons brown sugar, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of ground ginger, the juice of half a lemon and half a pint of whipping cream folded with two to three tablespoons of minced candied ginger.

Why is it called a Syllabub?

From the older English Sillibub or Sillabub, meaning a frothy dessert drink. The name is at least four hundred years old and refers to the bubbles formed when cream was poured from a height into sweet wine. The modern recipe whips the cream rather than froths it.

How strong is a Ginger Syllabub?

Around 4 to 6 percent ABV in the glass, depending on the cream-to-sherry ratio. Roughly equal to a small wine pour; the alcohol is a flavour accent, not a load-bearing element.

What does it taste like?

Sharp candied ginger on top, soft whipped cream and brown sugar through the middle, sweet sherry and lemon citrus on the finish. Eats and drinks like a chilled spoonable dessert.

Is the Syllabub a drink or a dessert?

Both, traditionally. Older Syllabubs were drunk from a glass; modern Syllabubs are spooned from a coupe or wine glass. The cream layer is eaten with a spoon; the sherry-and-citrus underneath is sipped or scooped.

What kind of sherry works best?

Sweet cream sherry, oloroso or Pedro Ximenez. The dried-fruit and nut profiles bridge the brown sugar and the cream. Avoid dry fino or manzanilla; the dessert reads sour with a dry sherry.

How long does the Syllabub keep?

Up to twenty-four hours in the refrigerator, covered. The whipped cream slowly weeps water from the sherry-and-sugar base; the texture is best within two to four hours of fold.

What other dessert drinks are similar?

A Posset, an Eggnog, a Brandy Alexander and a Tom and Jerry. All four lean on a dairy base plus a sweet wine or spirit for the dessert-pour family.

From the Drink Lab catalogue

Drink Lab has been collecting cocktail recipes since 2013. Some we wrote ourselves, plenty came in from readers, and the rest got passed across a bar somewhere along the way.

Last updated May 8, 2026 · 1 min read