Water
The hotter the wateris, the faster the sugar will dissolve. For a smaller batch like the one shown above, boiling water from a kettle will dissolve the sugar inabout 10-15 seconds. But it doesn't have to be that hot, warm water from the tap is still pretty quick, it'llonly take 45 seconds to a minute.Naturally, forlarger batchesthese times will be increased.
In fact, the water doesn't need to warm at all. Sugar will also dissolve into room temperature, or even cold, water;it’ll just take longer.
SimpleSyrup
Overview
Just about any time a co*cktail contains fresh citrus juice - and a lot of them do - it will also have a sweetener to balance it out. The most common sweetener is plain sugar, and the easiest way to work sugar into co*cktails is by making simple syrup.
While there are commercial simple syrups available - I strongly discourage using them. Even more so than I discourage buying pasteurized juice if that gives you any idea of how serious I feel about it. Not only is making simple syrup ridiculously easy - you just combine equal parts white sugar and hot water and stir until dissolved - but store-bought simple syrup can't be used in most co*cktail recipes because the sugar/water ratios are off. All co*cktail recipes are written assuming scratch-made syrup is being used.
So simple syrup prep is an essential addition to your co*cktail routine. It only takes a few minutes and keeps very well in the refrigerator, so you can make it in large batches. Bonus: it's great for sweetening the likes of iced coffee, tea, and fresh lemonade.
The Basic Recipe
Rich Simple Syrup
Rich simplesyrupcontains twice as much sugar, so that's two parts sugar to one part water. It is about 1 1/2 times as sweet as traditional equal parts1:1simple syrup, and naturally much thicker.
Because of the added sugar, youhave toheat it over the stove to get the sugar to fully dissolve.
Recipe:
2 cups white sugar
1 cup hot water
Combine in a pot or saucepan over low heat. Stir until dissolved.
Rich syrups are great for adding texture and body to a co*cktail, particularly in stirred, spirit-forward drinks. For example, I use a rich syrup made with demerara sugarin my Old Fashioned.
But they can be applied to any drink. Just remember that when using a rich simple syrup, you’ll use less of it and the co*cktail will be more concentrated. Generally, about a ½ ounceof rich simple syrup is equal to ¾ ounces traditional simple syrup.
Using Syrup vs Raw GranulatedSugar
Some older co*cktails recipesyou'll see will call for a couple teaspoons or so of raw sugar as the sweetener. But today the majority of bartenders use simple syrup as a basic sweetener because it is beeasier to measure and will integrate into the co*cktail much more consistently. With raw sugar some of it always ends up collecting the bottom of the glass,reminiscent ofraw sugar in iced coffee (noticewe’re seeing more and moresimple syrupat coffee shops nowadays). So,it's generally ok substitute in simple syrup for raw sugar.Here's the conversion:
1 tablespoon white sugar equals about ¾ oz simplesyrup
That being said, using raw sugarcan be interesting. Because there's no water, it gives drinksa slightlymore concentratededge, which some findpreferable in more bracing co*cktails. I think raw sugar works greatin a daiquiris for example.
Because it needs to bedissolved on the spotI wouldn't recommend using raw sugar ina bar, it takes far too long, and in a rushsomewill inevitablyend up at the bottom of the glass. But at home, it's worth trying.
If you do use rawsugar dissolve it into just the citrus juice first. Sugar doesn't break down into alcohol so well. Swirling them together in a shakerfor about 30 seconds - withroom temperature juice - should do the trick.
Store BoughtSimple Syrup
I don'trecommend these,at all. For one, retail simple syrups have a much higher sugar content than the traditionalrecipeto keep them shelf stable. So they will be too sweetformost co*cktailsrecipes - certainly all the ones on this site -and you'll have to adjust the amounts.
Also, some store bought simple syrupscontain preservatives and/or are made with high fructose corn syrup. In addition to not being natural, these can give them a syntheticflavor, which you will taste in your co*cktails.
But the biggest reason to not buy simple syrup isit’s not worth it! As I've saidabove, making simple syrup is as easy as putting sugar and water in a glass. Making simple syrup yourself is cheaper and results in a muchbetter product. Don’t waste your money.
ProlongingShelf Life
Simple syrup will generally keep for at least month in the refrigerator. After whichlittle specs of mold may begin to appear. So it doesn'toxidize or spoil exactly,itjust becomesunattractive.
If you want to keep mold from growing in yoursimple syrup for longer than a month, you can make it on the stove and bringit a boil. Thatwill kill off any fungus or bacteria that may be hiding in there. Even just usingboiling water to dissolve the sugar makes a big difference.Be carefulto not let it boil for too long or the evaporatingwaterwill eventually throw off the syrup's sweetness ratio.
Store it in the cleanest bottle you have, which you should alwaysdo. If you bottlesyrup when it'sstill hot,the heatwill sterilizethe inside of the bottle and further prevent mold from growing for a very long time. I used this method and thebottle has been in my fridge more than 8months and there still isn’tatraceofanything.
Note: rich simple syrup will keep for much longer because of the high sugar content.
Sugar
Common white table sugar, aka superfine sugar,is best for traditional simple syrup because itdissolves quickly and is neutral tasting.Simple syrup shouldonly supply cleansweetness, not flavor. I’d avoid using powdered sugar. It contains 3% cornstarch will make the syrup slightly cloudy. The ratio will also be completely different because powdered sugar is so fine.
Of course, if you want to add some flavor notessimple syrup can be made with any kind of sugar, like the darker demerara or turbinado sugars (an expandedsugar page is coming soon!).
You Can Also Use the Microwave!
It may not be in keeping the rustic image of with craft co*cktailsimage, but the microwave sure is easy and fast. Just combinethesugar and water, nuke it for thirtyseconds to a minute, and stir.
Why Not on the Stove?
Many recipes call for simple syrup to be made on the stove,but it really doesn't have to be. As I mentioned above, water does not need to be boiling hot to dissolve sugar, far from it.
The only practicalreason touse thestove would be to boil the syrup toextends itsshelf life, moredetails on that below. But from where I'm standing,unlessyou only make one or two batches of simple syrup a year, usingthe stove just means there's an extra potfor you to wash. So I say, why bother?
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Containersfor Storing Simple Syrup
The ideal vessel for simple syrup issomething you can easily pour out of and put a cap on. So while mason jarscertainly look great, they are difficultto pour from.
At home I prefer storing syrups in glass containers. Glasslooks nicerand has less chance of imparting the flavor of that Chinese food that may have sat in it before, which can be an issue with plastic. Though plastic works fine too, just be sure it’s clean.
I think the best and most attractive options are a clear glass bottles with a swing top latch or cork, the center bottle in the image across the page. You can find them in places like The Container Store or Ikea. Beer or soda glass bottles are also fine options;you can use an old cork to stop them. Andif you’re willing to forgo aesthetics,a thoroughly washed plastic soda bottle is much cheaperand perfectly functional.
One final tip, don’t store simple syrup with a speed pour in the bottle. Even that small access to air will expedite the growth of mold. Alwayscover itwhen not using.
Measuring by Weight vs Volume
I saved thishot button topic for last. Some bartenders fiercelyadvocate for measuring simple syrup by weight rather than volume. Notablyco*cktail industry legendsJeffrey Morganthaler and Dave Arnold whose respective books“The Bar Book” and "Liquid Intelligence”I have referencedseveral times while writing this site. They have a point.
Weight is Technically More Accurate & Consistent
Measuring by weight isalways going to be more consistent and precisefor food and drink related matters because the possibility of human error is removed.
1 cup of water weighs 8 ounces, while 1 cup of sugar weighs only about 7 ounces. So1 cup of sugaris equal to the weight of7/8 cup of water. Proof of this is that 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water makesa little under 1 ¾cups simple syrup. Not 2 cups.This somewhat confusingbecause sugar is denser than water -as we know from the remnantsof muddled sugar cubes resting on the bottom of our Old Fashioneds -and yet it takes up more space? Yes,becausegranulatedsugar containsminuscule pockets of air in between each granule, whichincreasesthe sugar'stotal volume. These air pockets are unpredictable andincalculable, which puts sugar's volume in flux, whereas water's volume and weight is always consistent. Thisis the primary reason why measuringsimple syrup by weight is more accurate.
Another point for measuring by weight is it produces simple syrup that is dead on 50% sugar, whereas simple syrup measuredby volumeis usually about 48% sugar. Round numbers are nice.
But Volume is Fine(and what I do)
So why do I still make simple syrup by volume? It's a combination of habit and "if it ain't broke don't fix it." Like many bartenders, I was taught to make simple syrup by volume and, if I do say myself, my co*cktails have come out pretty darn good, as have Clover Club's and manyother co*cktails I've had withsimple syrup measuring by volume.
In the end, sugar is sugar, and48% sugar is pretty darn close to 50% when we're talking ¾ ounce portions. The differences between of one bartender's filling of a¾ ounce jiggerto another will certainly fluctuatemore than 2%. It doesn't matterhow the syrup was made,so long as theco*cktail tastes balanced. Of course,the main advantage of making simple syrup by volume is its convenience and accessibility. All you need is something to measure with.
I'm not disputingthat weighing the ingredients is more accurate, I just think it’s an acceptable corner to cut.Be precise withyourmeasures, and it should work out fine. Of course, if you have a scale and prefer to make it by weight, by all means, go ahead.
But Only For 1:1 Syrup
Please note, these commentsonly applyequal parts simple syrup. Rich simple syrup will differ much more between whether it was made by weight or by volume. Arich syrup measured by weightwill be noticeably thicker. In keeping with my habits,I stick with volume.
Additional Simple Syrup
Variables
Don’t Pour the Water on Top of the Sugar by Eye
It may seem like a logical and a convenient shortcut to make simple syrup by filling a measuring cup with 1 cup of sugar and then topping it off with water until it reaches 2 cups. But that is a fool’s errand.
As you add the water, the sugar will begin to dissolve. This will reduce it’s volume because the air pockets between the granules will be erased, more on that in the section below. So you’ll end up adding more water than sugar. Even worse, if you continually use this method, you’ll add a different amount of water every time, depending on itstemperature. So this approach is not only inaccurate, it is hopelessly inconsistent.
I’m ashamed to admit that I once thought this method worked. I even demonstratedit in the Simple Syrup tutorial I did for Howcast several years ago (you can find it on youtube, I'm too embarrassed to link to it). It was before I was a parent. I was young and unscientifically minded. I'm proud of most of the co*cktail videos I’ve appeared in, but that one really sticks in my craw. So please disregard it and use the recipe on this page.
Rich Simple Syrup
Syrup vs. Granulated Sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup hot water
In a measuring cup, combine the sugar andwater.Stir until dissolved. Refrigerate in a glass container.
