Homemade Simple Syrup is easy and cheap to make at home. It’s the perfect way to sweeten your cocktails, a cup of coffee, or to brush on top of a freshly baked cake to keep it moist.
A Cocktail Staple You Can Make Yourself!
Some things aren’t that easy to make at home, like wine, beer, puff pastry, wedding cakes… Sure, you can do it yourself, if you’re committed and get all of the supplies you need. But most of us purchase those things instead. That’s also the case with a lot of cocktail ingredients.
But if you sweeten your cocktails with simple syrup, you should know that this is one cocktail ingredient that you can easily make at home. There’s no reason to buy fancy bottles of this basic item – it’s so much cheaper to quickly whip up yourself!
What Is Simple Syrup Made Of?
Simple syrup is very accurately named. It is probably the simplest thing you’ll ever make! All you will need are…
- Water: Nothing fancy, just ordinary drinking water.
- Sugar: You can use almost any sugar. I use white sugar, but raw sugar, brown sugar, and even coconut sugar will all work. More on that later in the “Tips for Success” section!
How to Make Simple Syrup
Making this simple syrup recipe is just as minimal and basic as the list of ingredients. Just grab your favorite saucepan, and you’ll be done in no time.
- Combine the Water and Sugar. Place the water and sugar together in a saucepan, and set it over medium high heat.
- Stir and Boil the Ingredients. Let the mixture come to a boil, stirring it as you go, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Cool and Store. Take the saucepan off of the heat. You can use the syrup immediately, or allow it to cool first, or chill it. (If you’re using it for cold drinks, you’ll definitely want to chill it.)
Does Simple Syrup Need to Boil?
The food blog world was all abuzz not too long ago, with the idea that you actually don’t have to cook your simple syrup at all. After all, sugar dissolves in water without any heat. So, to boil or not to boil – that is the question.
The answer sort of depends on your situation. Do you need this to be done fast? If so, you will probably want to heat it. Otherwise, be prepared to wait 15 to 45 minutes for your sugar to dissolve completely in unheated water.
On the other hand, if you don’t have to be quick, you can easily make this without boiling. Just combine the ingredients, stir, and wait.
For me, the best reason for boiling syrup is to make sure that it’s safe to store. Boiling simple syrup kills germs and bacteria that might be present in the ingredients. I like to make a large batch of simple syrup at once to store in my fridge for whenever I need it.
Tips for Success
Tips? We got ‘em! Check out this section for handy tips on making additional variations of simple syrup, and cooling it down efficiently for quicker use.
- Demerara Syrup: For drinks with a tropical twist, try making this recipe with brown demerara sugar. This gives the final result a rich, toasty taste that goes well with tropical flavors.
- Vanilla Syrup: For vanilla simple syrup, just drop a vanilla bean into the sugar and water as it cooks.
- Fruity Simple Syrup: Add a cup or so of your favorite fruit to the mixture while it cooks, and then run it through a fine mesh strainer afterward. Pro tip: don’t mash the fruit as you strain the mixture – it will cause fiber from the fruit to run into your jar, which will make the syrup cloudy instead of clear.
- Rich Simple Syrup: This recipe uses a traditional 1:1 ratio. That’s one part sugar to one part water. But you can double the amount of sugar for a 2:1 ratio, also known as “rich” simple syrup. This will be thicker and sweeter, and the added texture adds a pleasant mouthfeel to cocktails.
- Ice Bath: If you need to cool it down in a hurry, you can pour it into a small mixing bowl instead of a jar, and then nestle that into a larger mixing bowl containing an ice bath. Stir it occasionally as it cools down to help cool it faster. Once it’s cool, use it and store it.
How to Use Simple Syrup
Speaking of using the simple syrup and storing it, let’s talk about that! First things first. What can you use homemade simple syrup for?
- Cocktails. This is a big one, obviously. Some cocktails that use this sweet, sticky ingredient include mojitos, like this Blueberry Mojito, margaritas (here’s my favorite Frozen Margarita recipe), and for summer, this White Peach Sangria. And those are just for starters! The list is truly endless.
- Iced Coffee: If you like to make iced coffee, you should definitely keep some simple syrup on hand. It makes sweetening a glass so easy!
- Desserts: This can be brushed over the top of a freshly baked cake to keep it moist or drizzled over “poke cakes” to moisten them. Flavored syrups are great for giving cakes and ice cream more flavor.
Storing and Freezing
Store this simple syrup in an airtight container. I like to use a jar with a tight-fitting lid. It will keep for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. Fruity syrups will keep for just a few days.
For longer storage, try freezing the simple syrup. It will keep for 2 – 3 months in the freezer.
Simple Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Add water and sugar to a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved.
- Use immediately or allow to cool (or chill the simple syrup) if using for a cold drink. Transfer to a clean jar with a lid for storage.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
- Demerara Syrup: For drinks with a tropical twist, try making simple syrup with brown demerara sugar. This gives the syrup a rich, toasty flavor that goes well with tropical flavors.
- Vanilla Syrup: For vanilla simple syrup, just drop a vanilla bean into the sugar and water as it cooks.
- Fruity Simple Syrup: Add a cup or so of your favorite fruit to the syrup while it cooks, and then run it through a fine mesh strainer afterward. Pro tip: don’t mash the fruit as you strain the syrup – it will cause fiber from the fruit to run into your syrup jar, which will make the syrup cloudy instead of clear.
- Rich Simple Syrup: This recipe uses a traditional 1:1 ratio. That’s one part sugar to one part water. But you can double the amount of sugar for a 2:1 ratio, also known as “rich” simple syrup. This will be thicker and sweeter, and the added texture adds a pleasant mouthfeel to cocktails.
- Ice Bath: If you need to cool the syrup down in a hurry, you can pour it into a small mixing bowl instead of a jar, and then nestle that into a larger mixing bowl containing an ice bath. Stir it occasionally as it cools down to help cool it faster. Once it’s cool, use it and store it.
Nutrition
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Even More Cocktail Recipes
- Carajillo (Mexican Coffee Cocktail)
- Fresh Grapefruit Paloma
- Mexican Candy Shot
- Puerto Rican Coquito
- Aperol Spritz Cocktail
- Peach Moscow Mule
- Best Mojito Recipe
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