Art of Drink

Simple Syrup for Cocktails

Simple Syrup Recipe | How to Make

What is simple syrup? It is pretty simple really, it’s is just a mixture of sugar and water. However, it is a crucial part of cocktails and soda fountain drinks and without a standard formula, many cocktails can become cloyingly sweet or unbalanced. In the Mixologist: The Journal of the American Cocktail, I wrote an in-depth article on how to make a simple syrup and some background information on the types of sugar you can use to make it. In this post, I’m going to provide you with a couple of recipes to get you started, but if you would like more information, please feel free to pick up a copy of Mixologist.

The basics formulas are ratios of 1:1, 3:2 and 2:1 sugar to water. The most common syrup, for cocktails, is the 2:1 formula. At soda fountains in the 1890s, the United States Pharmacopeia stated that simple syrup should be made at a concentration of 14 lbs of sugar per gallon of water which equals 1672 grams of sugar per litre of water or close to a 5:3 ratio. For comparison 2:1 syrup has 2000 grams of sugar per litre of water. However, pharmacists at soda fountains typically used a 1:1 ratio as it mixed better, though many of the manuals give a 3:2 ratio, confusing, yes. The current USP guidelines is 850 grams of sucrose and 450 ml of water which will create one litre of syrup.

To make 2:1, just add 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup water to a pot and gently heat until all of the sugar is dissolved. There is no need to boil the mixture, it will readily dissolve when slightly hot to the touch. If you boil your syrup with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice it will convert to become a solution of glucose and fructose and will not crystallize as readily but will have a slightly different flavour than sucrose, though hard to detect in a cocktail or soda. Pour the syrup into a clean bottle and it’s ready to use. 

A couple of suggestions that will make your simple syrup better include adding ¼ cup of corn syrup to the mixture if you cold process it (i.e. don’t heat or boil). This will help prevent the crystallization of the sugar since it is close to a supersaturated solution. The other suggestion is to add one or two ounces of vodka or neutral grain spirit after it has been bottled. This will help prevent mould or bacteria from growing in the neck of the bottle during storage if you make large batches for a bar.

If you want to try something different, you can try adding a portion of fructose (available at your local health food store) to your recipe. Fructose is a fruit sugar and is the most common sugar found in fruits like peaches, pears, berries, etc. Or you can make straight fructose syrup for a different flavour profile.

My personal favourite simple syrup is one that makes 1 teaspoon of simple syrup equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar. That way I know how much sugar is going into each drink, and if a recipe calls for sugar, I can pour the exact amount. The rough ratio for this solution is four parts sugar to three parts water (4:3).

Check out Orgeat Syrup and Sour Mix for more information on making cocktail ingredients.


Yield: 750 ml

Simple Syrup Recipe

How to make simple syrup

This recipe makes a syrup where 1 teaspoon of syrup is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. This is handy for cocktails because the sugar is already pre-dissolved.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Sugar
  • 3 cups Water
  • 1 Tbsp Gum Arabic (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a pot add three cups of water and heat to approximately 60°C (140°F)
  2. Mix the dry sugar and gum Arabic until uniformly combined
  3. Add the sugar and gum mixture to the pot
  4. Stir until dissolved. There is no need to heat or process the syrup beyond the point where the sugar is completely dissolved, but it can speed things up.
  5. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly and clear.
  6. Pour syrup into a bottle and use as needed.

Notes

Combining the dry sugar with the gum arabic and mixing is the easiest way to dissolve the gum. At first, you may find the solution cloudy but it will clear in a few hours.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

200

Serving Size:

Teaspoon

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 16Total Fat: 0gCarbohydrates: 4gSugar: 4g

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