I tried following the recipe [here](https://www.f1cookbook.com/blog/sichuan-peppercorn-cocktails) to try to create a Sichuan peppercorn simple syrup. The recipe is basically to add slightly crushed peppercorn to sugar and water, allow to simmer, take off the heat, and repeat. The end result was tasty, but it did not have the same mouth numbing effect that I was hoping for except for with the leftover peppercorn in the syrup.

**How can I get the mouth numbing effect into a syrup, and why did the above method not work?** The Wikipedia article on [hydroxy alpha sanshool](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxy_alpha_sanshool) suggests you can extract it with a distillation method although that seems like a bit of overkill when I am just trying to make cocktails at home (and when I don't own a condenser or distillation flask).