Syrups
Syrups - Often referred to as simple syrup or just “simple” in some bars are staples in the cocktail world. We could easily purchase some at the grocery or liquor store, but to have full control over its richness, viscosity and flavor, it is best to experiment and make it ourselves.
Rather than go into all the reasons to make and use our own syrups, I’m going to share the formulas to make 3 syrups and also supply you with some of my own personal favorites that I use in cocktails at Grey Season. In the future, you’ll be able to purchase some of my rarer syrups in case you’d rather not spend the time sourcing the many ingredients that go into them. Should you choose to head down the path of self creation, I’ll warn you that it is a rewarding experience as well as an addictive one. I find myself thinking of ingredients just as often for syrups as I do with cocktails. Sometimes, it is the syrup that inspired the cocktail. Let’s get to it…
Simple Syrup
The first formula is for a standard simple simple. It’s as simple as it comes with a 1 to 1 ratio of water and sugar. You could use cups, ounces(oz) or milliliters(ml) to measure out the volume if you’d like or you could be extremely precise and measure by weight. It’s entirely up to you. Personally, when I’m experimenting to get a base flavor, I’ll measure by volume. However once I’m ready to create a consistent product, I will always measure by weight to ensure accuracy.
Ingredients
1 cup white cane sugar
1 cup water
Technique
Place both water and sugar into a sauce pot, and give it a little stir
Heat it on medium low - medium heat until it comes to a rolling boil. We don’t want to scorch the sugar.
Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool
We now have simple syrup. It will stay good for a month if you store it in a clean glass container in the fridge.
Rich Simple Syrup
Rich simple syrup or rich syrup contains the same ingredients. The difference is in the ratio. A rich syrup is a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water. The result is a syrup that is fuller in mouth feel and only requires half the amount in any recipe that calls for simple syrup, because it is twice the sweetness of simple syrup.
Ingredients
1 cup white cane sugar
0.5 cup water
Technique
Place both water and sugar into a sauce pot, and give it a little stir
Heat it on medium low - medium heat until it comes to a rolling boil. We don’t want to scorch the sugar.
Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool. Voila! Rich syrup!
Due to the higher sugar content in a rich syrup, it should stay good in the fridge up to 6 months if stored in an air tight clean glass container. We could also put it in the freezer for longer preservation. The large sugar content will prevent it from freezing.
Flavored Simple Syrup
Flavored syrups are simple syrups or rich syrups that has been infused with herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables or anything else that is edible that we could imagine. After understanding the basics of how to make a flavored syrup, try one of our flavored syrup recipes for yourself.
Ingredients
1 cup white cane sugar
1 cup water
1 cup of (fruits, vegetable or herbs)
Technique
Place water and sugar into a sauce pot, and give it a little stir.
If using fruits or vegetables - add them in step 1 as well.
If using herbs or more delicate ingredients, add them in step 4.
Heat it on medium low - medium heat until it comes to a rolling boil. We don’t want to scorch the sugar.
Once it reaches the boiling point - cover the pot, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 mins.
After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let the syrup cool. (If making an herb syrup, add them in this step after the heat has been turned off)
Once the syrup has cooled - Pour the syrup through a strainer to filter out the solids. You could press lightly on the solids to push more of the syrup out.
It will remain good for about 2 weeks in a clean glass container in the fridge.
Pro Tip:
Another way to extend the shelf life to any syrup is to add a stabilizer in the form of a neutral spirit such as vodka to it. Creating an ABV (Alcohol by Volume) of 15% will keep the syrup fresh for months longer. Adding more alcohol will keep it stable indefinitely. For the recipes above, adding 1.25 oz of vodka will give you the 15% ABV mentioned.
We are not required to only use water as a liquid in our syrups. Substituting coconut water, coffee, brewed tea, fruit juices or other liquids could create amazing syrups. We mainly need to be aware of the sugar content in the liquid we are using and reduce the amount of sugar we add if the liquid is already sweet. This prevents us from over sweetening our syrup. However, if that’s what you’re going for, then by all means.
We could replace the sugar in our recipes with other sweetener as well. Try using brown Demerara or Turbinado sugar in place of the white cane sugar for a richer more luxurious syrup. Honey and agave are also other common substitute for sugar.