How to Make Simple Syrup for Cocktails and Drinks
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Simple syrup is quick and easy to make, and can be used to add sweetness – without flavor – to cocktails, mocktails, coffee, and a variety of other drinks.
Unlike other sugar syrups made from honey or brown sugar, traditional simple syrup is made with white sugar and provides a clean sweetness to a drink without impacting its flavor.
Simple syrup is two ingredients and costs pennies to make at home. Sometimes called bar syrup in liquor stores or distilleries, simple syrup is (literally!) simple to make on the stove top or in the microwave.
It lasts for weeks in the refrigerator and with so many uses for classic simple syrup, I highly recommend always keeping some on hand.
Ingredients
- White Sugar – Either cane sugar or beet sugar works well.
- Water
How to Make Simple Syrup in the Microwave
Place sugar in a pint mason jar.
In a microwave safe container, heat water for 2-3 minutes until almost boiling. Carefully pour the hot water over the sugar in the mason jar.
Stir well until all of the sugar crystals have completely dissolved.
Let come to room temperature before covering and storing in the refrigerator.
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How to Make Simple Syrup on the Stove Top
Heat a cup of water in a small pot over medium-high heat.
Bring the water to a near-boil. Remove from heat and add sugar.
Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved and no sugar crystals remain.
Allow to come to room temperature, then pour the syrup into a glass, airtight container. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
How to Make Simple Syrup for Cocktails and Drinks
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Heat 1 cup of water in a small pot over medium-high heat.
- Bring the water to a near-boil. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup sugar.
- Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved and no sugar crystals remain.
- Allow the mixture to come to room temperature, then pour the syrup into a glass, airtight container.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
How to Store Cocktail Simple Syrup
Always store your simple syrup in the refrigerator. Use an airtight glass container for storing your syrup, like a mason jar or glass bottle. This will prevent any flavors lingering in plastic containers from transferring to your syrup.
How Long Does Simple Syrup Last in the Refrigerator?
Simple syrup will keep for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. Discard it immediately if the syrup looks cloudy or you see anything cloudy or dark floating in it. Unlike the store-bought ones, homemade simple syrups don’t have a long shelf life when stored at room temperature, so be sure to keep them refrigerated.
How to Use Simple Syrup
There are so many delicious ways to use classic simple syrup:
- Sweeten your morning coffee or tea. It’s ideal as a liquid sweetener for iced coffee or iced tea.
- Mix with fresh lemon juice and water for an easy lemonade.
- In cocktails! Try a classic margarita, Paloma cocktail, frozen mango margarita, basil gimlet gin cocktail, fresh raspberry margarita, classic lemon drop martini, tequila smash or bourbon smash with fresh fruit, or cherry blossom cocktail.
- In mocktails! Try a strawberry pineapple mocktail, non-alcoholic margarita (pictured below), or non alcoholic pomegranate punch.
Frequently Asked Questions About Simple Syrup
Yes. Both simple syrup and bar syrup are a 1:1 ratio of white sugar to water.
No. Heat the water to a simmer. It does not need to be boiling water. You’re only looking for it to be hot enough to easily dissolve the sugar.
Your simple syrup is ready when all of the sugar crystals have dissolved into the water. While you stir, occasionally lift your spoon out of the mixture and look for sugar crystals. When the syrup looks clear and no crystals are present, it’s ready to chill and use.
Rich simple syrup refers to a heavy syrup made with a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water instead of the 1:1 ratio in a standard simple syrup recipe. It’s a very sweet syrup and shouldn’t be used as a direct swap for simple syrup in a recipe.
TIP: If you’re making rich simple syrup, it’s important to let the sugar and hot water sit together for 1-2 minutes before stirring to combine and dissolve the sugar. This will prevent the sugar from recrystallizing as the syrup cools in the refrigerator.
You can create a longer shelf life for your homemade simple syrup by adding a tablespoon of vodka to the finished syrup. Since I use my syrups in alcohol-free drinks as well as cocktails, I skip this option and just make sure I pay attention to my syrup’s expiration date.
