Simple Syrups are Simple

Don’t buy a bottle of simple syrup. It does the trick. It’s fine. But just make your own. We are trying to elevate our game here, right? At its simplest, it is even parts water and sugar, boiled until however syrup-y you want it. 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar. 2 cups water…? You guessed it. 2 cups sugar.

Once you have mastered that, then the fun begins. You have a flavor you like? Most likely you can turn it into a simple syrup. Then use it in cocktails, but also great for making not-so-drab mocktails. More on those in another post.

This is also a way to bring some different flavors to the party and mix up cocktails, but in an inexpensive way. Don’t want to buy that expensive flavored liqueur? See if you can replicate with a simple syrup along with whatever base spirit.

I typically make a couple baseline simple syrups — a regular version with white sugar that I always have in the house, but then for dark spirit cocktails I will make a demerara sugar version (not the same as brown sugar or turbinado). When you make this, for the sugar component, use half regular white sugar and half demerara.

I may make a strawberry simple syrup for daiquiris. You saw earlier in the fall I made a pear simple. And for mocktails, I like Rosemary syrup. With any herb, you basically make a regular simple syrup and in the last 60 seconds of boiling you drop in the herbs, remove from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes to an hour. You can even make simple syrup out of your favorite tea. Make tea in a saucepan in a large batch, then add sugar to it (in equal parts) and bring to a boil. To see some simple syrups related posts from before, go to these recipes Simple Syrup, Strawberry Daiquiri and The Plastered Pear.

They will keep in the fridge for a couple weeks, maybe longer, before they will get moldy. I like to keep mine in squeeze bottles (used a lot for sauces and oils). Easy to store and great for a single serve need when you make yourself and after-dinner old fashioned. There are a lot of bottles out there — and many will leak. So far, I like these the best.

One more hack...if you are really in a bind (and yes, there have been more than a handful of times I have had to do this) and need to make a drink right away and don’t have any liquid sugar (homemade or store-bought) at all? Put equal parts warm water and sugar in a container (mason jar, etc.) and shake it as hard as you can until it dissolves. It’ll do, you lush.