One of the most common ingredients in both cocktails and coffee bars, simple syrup is featured in countless recipes, from the Tom Collins to the mojito. It can get the job done in a classic Old Fashioned, too, when you don’t feel like muddling sugar cubes.
But while overpriced store-bought options appear on retail shelves, simple syrup is fast to put together. Making it yourself is way less of a hassle than buying it.
Here’s everything you need to know.
What Is Simple Syrup?
Simple syrup is just sugar water.
Most simple syrup is made in a 1:1 ratio of water to granulated white sugar, making it easy to throw together in a pinch. Simply mix equal parts sugar and warm water and stir until dissolved.
In short, keeping a small pint container of simple syrup in your fridge is one of the simplest quality-of-life upgrades for any home kitchen, whether it’s to make bar-quality cocktails at home without the hassle of prep work, or to sweeten up an iced coffee without grainy sugar chunks on the bottom.
Why Do We Use Simple Syrup Instead of Just Adding Sugar?
The reason we use simple syrup is that granulated sugar takes time to dissolve in liquid and can be particularly stubborn in cold drinks—as many cocktails are—leaving the final product unbalanced in flavor, with a thick sludge of undissolved sugar at the bottom. Creating simple syrup beforehand pre-dissolves the sugar so it mixes evenly throughout an entire cocktail.
How to Make a Basic Simple Syrup
Makes One Pint
Ingredients
In saucepan, bring water to simmer over medium heat.
Add sugar and stir continuously until cloudiness disappears and mixture is perfectly clear.
Remove from heat and store in refrigerated container for future use.
How Long Will Simple Syrup Last?
Like anything that involves natural ingredients, many syrups will spoil given enough time. The exact length depends on the ingredients used and the total amount of sugar, but most syrups in an airtight container in the fridge will keep for about one month.
If your simple syrup is infused with fruit, it won’t last as long—about two to three weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.
Substitutes for Simple Syrup
As wonderful as a classic simple syrup is, sometimes you might need (or want) a substitute.
Agave syrup, which also has a fairly neutral profile, but with slight honey undertones, is a bartender favorite. Maple syrup, jam and honey syrup are other excellent options that add sweetness, but be mindful that they contribute additional flavors.
Simple Syrup Variations
Syrups are where the home cook really gets to play. There aren’t too many rules beyond keeping a water-to-sugar ratio of 1:1, then integrating whatever ingredients you think taste good.
One notable variation is called rich simple syrup. It involves a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water. This means it’s twice as sweet as a typical simple syrup. If you find yourself preferring a sweeter drink, this may be the way to go.
You can also play around with the sugar. Instead of white sugar, try one cup of Demerara (or “raw”) sugar for a richer flavor. Or dissolve equal parts honey and water for a honey syrup, the base of classic drinks like the Bee’s Knees.
Another option? Instead of buying a bottle of pre-made, neon-red grenadine that’ll just gather dust on your bar cart, make a simple DIY version by heating unsweetened pomegranate juice and stirring in an equal amount of sugar.
If you want to make an herb syrup infusion using ingredients like thyme, basil or mint, you can add a few sprigs to the mixture while it heats, or to cooled simple syrup to allow it to infuse more slowly over time.
Generally, herbs cooked into syrup will yield stronger flavors, while those added to a syrup after it’s cooled will come through more noticeably on the nose.
Pro tip: If you can find it, a few dashes of orange-flower water always seems to make fruit-based syrups taste more complex.
Why Is Simple Syrup in So Many Different Cocktails?
Simple syrup is a bartender’s best friend because it’s versatile, easy to measure and mixes well. It’s also fairly neutral, allowing the other flavors in a cocktail to shine.
Have a batch of simple syrup mixed up and looking for some home-happy-hour drink ideas? Here are a few classic recipes to get you started.
- Sazerac recipe
- Gimlet recipe
- Mint julep recipe
- Mojito recipe
- Whiskey sour recipe
- The New York sour recipe
- The New York flip recipe
- The French 75 recipe
- The Old Cuban recipe
- The Singapore Sling recipe
- A wide range of non-alcoholic drinks, as well as the formula to make almost any drink imaginable.
More Bartending Basics
- In “A Drinker’s Guide to Bar Terms,” we offer a cheat sheet to the vocabulary you might encounter on menus or in recipes.
- Make sure you pour your cocktails into the right glasses.
- Yes, you need a tequila glass—and it isn’t a shot glass.
- Here’s how to properly float or layer ingredients in a cocktail.
- Once you’ve got your home bar properly stocked with base spirits, add these bottles to make your set up more versatile.
- Every cocktail lover should know these 12 drinks.
In the Shop
Dial-a-Recipe Cocktail Shaker and Bar Tools Set
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Published: July 2, 2024
