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    Home · Recipes · Entertaining · How To Make Simple Syrup For Cocktails

    May 9, 2022

    How To Make Simple Syrup For Cocktails

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    If you're interested in making even the most basic of cocktails at home, making your own Simple Syrup is a must. The good news, as its name would indicate, this stuff is indeed simple to make. In fact, two ingredients and 5 minutes are all you need.

    A glass bottle of simple syrup with a pour spout lid next to a sauce pan and measuring cups

    Want to conquer more cocktail basics at home? Learn how to salt a margarita glass perfectly!

    Simple syrup (or Sugar Syrup) is used for adding sweetness to drink recipes, specifically cocktails, flavored coffees, and iced teas. It is a key ingredient in countless classic cocktail recipes, from margaritas to whiskey sours to mojitos!

    A bottle of simple syrup sitting on a counter with a funnel, sauce pan, and measuring cup

    Sugar Syrup is made up of equal parts sugar and water. The two are boiled together until the sugar is dissolved and liquefied. You can buy it at the grocery or liquor store or simply make it at home.

    HOW TO MAKE SIMPLE SYRUP

    To make simple syrup, combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat.

    Water being poured from a measuring pitcher into a sauce pan with sugar in it

    Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. As soon as the sugar is dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside to cool completely. 

    overhead view of simple syrup boiling in a sauce pan

    HOW TO STORE IT

    I like to keep my syrup in a glass jar equipped with a pour spout. After the syrup has cooled, use a funnel or carefully pour the syrup into your storage vessel, seal it, and keep it for up to one month in the refrigerator.

    SIMPLE SYRUP VARIATIONS

    We make all the things here in the Anthony Kitchen, including lots and lots of sweets. A rule of thumb we live by when it comes to sweets is "where there is sugar, there should also be salt."

    So, while salt is not an ingredient you would necessarily find in a classic sugar syrup recipe, you might be surprised at what adding a pinch to the boil can do for your cocktails at home!

    a hand sprinkling salt into a sauce pan of simple syrup

    Of course, there are other easy ways you can spruce up your standard simple syrup recipe.

    The many variations and flavors you can create are practically endless. You can easily turn a margarita recipe into a fruity masterpiece by using either our watermelon or strawberry syrup!

    You can also change up the flavor of simple syrup by swapping out one sugar for another. For example, brown sugar syrup has recently become a viral rendition thanks to Starbucks' iced coffee drink, the Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso.

    Here are some easy ways you can spruce up the standard simple syrup recipe:

    • Brown Sugar Syrup | Use brown sugar in the place of granulated sugar.
    • Honey Syrup | Use honey in the place of granulated sugar.
    • Vanilla Syrup | Add in 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract once the sugar has dissolved.
    • Almond Syrup | Add 1 teaspoon of pure almond extract after the sugar has dissolved.

    A glass bottle of simple syrup with a pour spout lid

    ABOUT RICH SIMPLE SYRUP

    Another variation of your standard simple syrup recipe is rich simple syrup.

    This syrup is particularly ideal if you'd like to add a good dose of sweetness to a cocktail without watering it down whatsoever.

    A rich syrup is a simple syrup with two parts of sugar and one part water. This syrup is thicker, has a richer mouthfeel, and packs twice the sweetness as your standard sugar syrup recipe. It would be ideal for any cocktail you'd like to keep "booze-forward," like an Old Fashioned.

    IS THERE A SUBSTITUTE FOR SIMPLE SYRUP?

    If you aren't a fan of refined white sugar, you may be on the hunt for a healthier substitute. Agave nectar is probably your best bet. This is the sweetener typically used in a Skinny Margarita!

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    A glass bottle of simple syrup with a pour spout lid next to a sauce pan and measuring cups
    Print
    Simple Syrup
    Cook Time
    5 mins
    Total Time
    5 mins
     

    Simple Syrup is incredibly easy to make and so convenient to have on hand! Sweeten any cocktail perfectly in just a matter of minutes!

    Course: Beverage, Cocktail
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Strawberry Simple Syrup
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 96 kcal
    Author: Kelly Anthony
    Ingredients
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 cup water
    Instructions
    1. Add granulated sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.

    2. Remove from the heat as soon as the sugar is dissolved and set aside to cool completely.

    3. Transfer to a jar, seal it, and keep refrigerated for up to one month.

    Nutrition Facts
    Simple Syrup
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 96 Calories from Fat 9
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 1g2%
    Sodium 2mg0%
    Potassium 1mg0%
    Carbohydrates 25g8%
    Sugar 25g28%
    Calcium 1mg0%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

     

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    I’m Kelly Anthony — a baker, home chef, and mom with a passion for food and an adoration for entertaining.

    Comfort food is my specialty, and it is truly my pleasure to share these recipes with you. If you’d like to get to know me a little better, click here.

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