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Forget cabinets full of obscure liqueurs and rare spirits. There’s a far cheaper and more convenient way to add new flavours to your cocktails: a good simple syrup.

Below, you’ll find a complete guide to the creation, storage and use of simple syrups, as well as the occasional suggestion for a drink to use each of them in. Upping your cocktail game can be as easy as the right syrup!

If you’d like to get your hands on some more handy resources (including online recipe books not available anywhere else), I’d encourage you to head over to our Patreon.

Happy bartending!

What is a simple syrup?

A simple syrup is an equal parts solution of sugar and water. It’s used in cocktails (and drinks in general) to add sweetness and texture to a drink.

Bartenders, being the creative sorts they are, have come up with all kinds of variations and additions to the equal-parts-sugar-and-water recipe. This includes adding fruits, herbs, spices, and various other ingredients to their syrups to add a quick hit of flavour when an infusion would be too strong or a bitters too deep.

In essence, a simple syrup is a quick, cheap and easy way to add baseline flavours to your cocktail.

What’s all this about brix?

You may see some mention of “brix” in your search for a simple syrup recipe. This term refers to the amount of sugar dissolved in an aqueous solution: the higher the brix, the more sugar there is in the simple, and the sweeter the resulting cocktail you put it in.

This also applies to any liquids you might add to a syrup: pilsner and porter have different brix, for example, as do lemon and orange juice, and will have different levels of sweetness. Different kinds of lemon or oranges also have different brix as well—it all gets rather complicated!

This becomes important when substituting one simple syrup for another. A lemon syrup made with the same volume of juice as an orange syrup will have a different sweetness level, and so will affect the final flavour of any cocktail you substitute one for the other in.

Trying to make the brix of various syrups equivalent is outside of the realm of this article—it is possible, but complex.

All you need to know is that some syrups will be significantly sweeter or drier than others, and you must adjust your syrup volumes to compensate when substituting.

How do you make a simple syrup?

Before we dive right into the recipes, it’s important to note there are a few different ways of making simple syrup.

Hot process

The hot process involves placing your ingredients in a pot, heating the mixture until the ingredients (normally sugar) are combined.

It’s important to never let the temperature get too high, or you’ll start boiling off water, affecting your ratio. You’re only heating it to combine the ingredients, not to cook them.

Typically, the hot process results in more consistent and faster results, but the cold process can work if all you have is your ingredients and a mason jar.

Cold process

The cold process, on the other hand, doesn’t involve heating. You just agitate (shake or stir) the ingredients together until they combine.

Any deviations from these processes will be noted at the start of each ingredient section. If it isn’t mentioned, assume you are going to use the hot process.

How to store simple syrups

Simple syrups are typically made in batches—it’s nearly impossible to make a small enough amount for just one cocktail.

As such, they usually need to be stored to be used over multiple libations.

Basic sugar syrups (that only contain sugar and water) will last a month if stored in the fridge. Any other syrup (especially those with fruits, vegetables or other highly perishable ingredients) will last up to 2 weeks.

Think of it like jam: the sugar helps to preserve the ingredients, but once opened, it won’t last forever.

Long-term storage

If you want to keep your syrup for longer, store it in a sealed container. You can also freeze most simple syrups, and adding a neutral spirit like vodka to the syrup can also extend the shelf life.

Simple syrup recipes by base ingredient

NB Usually, the recipe in the cocktail examples provided below will call for the suggested syrup by ingredient name. If not, replace any “simple syrup” mentioned in the recipe with the equivalent suggested simple syrup.

Sugar

Sugar-based syrups are the simplest of the simple, though the sugar you choose and the ratio of sugar to water make a big difference to the flavour and the texture.

Pro-tip: Measure your sugar amounts by weight, rather than by volume. Volume (e.g. 1 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar) has a habit of being incorrect, especially when using finer or more coarse granules of sugar (such as granulated vs demerera).

Name Ratio Sugar type Notes Example Simple syrup 1:1, sugar to water White, granulated The standard for US-based bars. Medic Syringe Rich simple syrup 2:1, sugar to water White, granulated The standard for UK-based bars. Also adds a thicker mouthfeel to a drink. Lion’s Tail Honey simple syrup 1:1, honey to water Liquid honey Adds depth of flavour as well as sweetness. Traitor Empress Turbinado simple syrup 1:1, sugar to water Turbinado sugar Adds a light caramel flavour as well as colour. Also feel free to use other types of raw brown sugar. Daiquiri Agave syrup 1:1, nectar to water Agave nectar Ideal for making virgin versions of tequila drinks. Tommy’s Margarita Molasses 25:25:6, water to sugar to molasses Brown sugar This ratio translates to 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2 tbsp of molasses. Dark One Maple 1:1, water to maple syrup Maple syrup Ensure you use real maple syrup. Spirit Light Sorghum 1:1, water to sorghum Sorghum syrup Sorghum Old Fashioned

Fruits and Vegetables

Making a fruit and vegetable simple syrup typically requires a base simple syrup to work with; the fruit or vegetable is just flavour.

Fruit and vegetable syrups will also typically not last as long as pure sugar syrups. See the storage section for more information, but my advice is to separate off a cup or two of your main simple syrup and make it as needed, rather than as a big batch.

There are three methods you can use to make these infused syrups:

Muddling or blending. This involves placing chopped up pieces of your fruit or vegetable into an already-made batch of simple syrup and either crushing it to release the juices or blending it altogether. This will require straining through a fine mesh to remove the pulp. This is the fastest method, but may introduce impurities to the syrup no matter how fine your sieve. Maceration. This involves allowing the fruit or vegetable to steep in your simple syrup for a couple of hours (or a couple of days if macerating chilled). The sugar will draw the juices out of the fruit or vegetable, the remains of which can then be discarded. This will only be effective for fruits and vegetables with a high water content, such as apples, oranges, raspberries, and similar. Also note that this technique can be inconsistent between batches, and will require regular tasting to ensure the correct flavour is achieved. Simmering. This involves adding the chopped fruit or vegetables into the simple syrup as it is combining in the pan. This affects the flavour of the fruit and vegetable, lending it a more cooked or jammy flavour in comparison to the fresh flavour of the other techniques. Some ingredients can only be simmered for best results, and must be simmered for longer than usual. In these cases, add about 1/4 cup of water to avoid messing up the ratios.

There is a fourth method which is somewhat cheating, but it works well in a pinch. If you can only access juices of the vegetable or fruit you are after, you can instead make a “reduction”. This simple means slowly heating the pure juice until much of the water has evaporated.

This does not rely on a simple syrup base, and thus is a lot more simple to make. However, it does mean you have to relinquish control of your final product in terms of sugar content and consistency; many storebought fruit juices have extra ingredients added in that might be undesirable (particularly added sugar or other sweeteners). It can also take a lot longer than the standard simmering method described above.

If using this method, particularly for vegetable juices, you may need to add some caster sugar anyway to achieve the desired flavour. In these cases, try a simple 1:1 ratio of juice to caster sugar and follow the baseline simple syrup recipe (having replaced the water with the juice).

NB: For the purposes of the following recipes, assume that you are using 1 cup of 1:1 simple syrup as the base. If you need more, scale up the recipe.

* This recipe is unique in this table as it requires the fruits to be juiced first. Use fresh pomegranates and follow this guide. Feel free to omit the orange blossom water. You can also follow this recipe from Sam Chevre, which uses pomegranate molasses and is somewhat more complex (but worth the work).

Herbs and Spices

Making a herb- or spice-infused syrup requires a baseline simple syrup (1:1 normally) and your chosen spice.

Due to the potency of herbs and spices, these simple syrups tend not to need as much volume of the additional infused matter compared to other types of simple syrups, but this does also create a significant margin for error: an extra tablespoon of strawberry won’t make much difference to a strawberry syrup, but an extra tablespoon of black pepper will overpower a black pepper syrup.

The typical method of making a herb- or spice-infused simple syrup involves the simmering method, amounting to simply throwing in the spice or herb along with the water and sugar when you’re making the baseline simple syrup. You then strain out the herbs once the sugar has dissolved.

You can also steep a spice or herb in simple syrup, which is similar to the maceration method for fruits and vegetables: placing the herb or spice in with the simple syrup to infuse over a few days. This does take long (several days) but can extract more flavour.

Finally, you can combine the two methods and simply leave the herbs or spices in the cooling simple syrup for about 30 minutes. This is my preferred technique, as it tends to get more flavour without requiring a long prep time.

One final important note: there is a significant difference in potency of spices and herbs across countries, stores and shelf lives. The ratios indicated below are merely a starting point. You may find that your cinnamon is a lot more or less potent, for example, and will need to adjust accordingly; more simple syrup if its too strong, and more of the chosen herb or spice if it’s too weak.

For the purposes of the recipes below, assume you are using 1 cup of 1:1 simple syrup as the baseline and are using the simmering method.

Flowers

Flower simple syrup can add a delicate, floral touch to a cocktail—great for drinks that aren’t too overpowering with other flavours.

The key to a good floral simple syrup is to only use the petals of the flower, not the whole flower (as the ‘green’ parts can add bitterness) and to ensure you only steep the flower petals in simple syrup, rather than simmering them. The petals are too delicate and will likely fall apart if simmered.

You should also be careful about pesticides, herbicides and non-edible variants of the flowers below. If in doubt, ask whomever you are buying them from what they’ve been sprayed with and if you can eat them—they might look at you a little weird, but that’s better than a bad syrup.

For the purposes of the below recipes, assume you are using 1 cup of 1:1 simple syrup and are steeping the petals in the still-hot syrup for 30 minutes.

Alcohol

Alcohol-based simple syrups are an odd idea: why wouldn’t you just add the alcohol directly to the cocktail without the extra steps?

Convenience. All simple syrups make life easier for the bartender. After all, they’ve just combined two ingredients into one, and that means one less bottle on the bar. Flavour. Wine syrups change flavour after they’ve been cooked, and all alcohol syrups get their flavours concentrated after simmering for a while. A smokey whisky could be reduced into a “smoke syrup”, for example, for use in a smoked old fashioned. It also allows you to layer flavours: use one whiskey for an Old Fashioned, and a different one in the simple syrup. Volume. Ever wanted to make a beer martini? No, me neither, but someone has, and it’s far easier to make a flavour-packed, small-volume drink when you’ve got a hefty hit of flavour in a small package rather than having to create a highball beverage instead.

This is why making an alcohol syrup is a little different from other syrups, in that there’s really only one method: reduction after replacing the typical water with the chosen alcohol.

This means that unlike the previous simple syrups, the recipes below assume you are using the wine/beer/cider/spirit instead of the water in the usual 1:1 simple recipe, as described above. You then heat it slowly for 30 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half (or more).

*Use the rum syrup in place of the grenadine or regular simple syrup

Nuts

Nut simple syrup (or an “orgeat”, as it is sometimes called, though this typically refers solely to almond syrup) is a little more complex than other simples: they usually require more ingredients and more prep, often involving toasting, roasting or otherwise processing the nuts first.

As a result, there’s no real single recipe for every kind of nut: the difference between a pistachio syrup and a chestnut syrup is significant, with one only require chopping and the other requiring a long roast.

As a result, the below table includes a complete linked recipe to each type of syrup. Don’t feel that you have to use every ingredient listed; often it can be a good experiment to start with water + sugar + nut components, and then add other ingredients as needed.

Combination

Sometimes a single ingredient simple syrup doesn’t quite do the trick—sometimes you need something with a touch more complexity.

Below you’ll find recipes for some of the most popular/common combination syrups, as well as some suggestions for basic combos to try for yourself.

In terms of the method of making these, most of them will follow the simmering, macerating or steeping method (fruits/veges and herbs). Use your best judgement, however: simmering a delicate herb or flower even when in combination with a fruit isn’t likely to work out in your favour.

If in doubt, gentler is usually better.

Here are some non-named combos that could also be worth investigating:

Rosemary and clove

Blackberry and lavender

Thyme and lavender

Peach and lemon

Lemon and chamomile

Sage and juniper

Sage and peppercorn

Spiced red wine

Mint and white wine

Rum and pineapple

Rum and coconut

Cinnamon and clove

Cinnamon and grapefruit

Cherry and molasses

Other

Last on the grand list are all the misc syrups that don’t fall into the other categories. Don’t think that these are all quirky and unusable, however: there are a number of this list that are famous, such as oleo saccharum and gomme syrup.

Like the combination and nut section, each of these syrups have a very distinct recipe, which has been linked in the table below.

Sources