Cocktail Syrups
The word “Sugar” in these recipes is a stand-in for “Sweetener.” As long as you understand how different sugars work in a cocktail, you can take creative freedoms and use any sweetener of your choice. Try making Blackberry Agave Syrup for a Tequila Cocktail! It's a great flavor combination, and it saves you the headache of getting berry pulp in your strainers.
The lion's share of simple syrup recipes call for boiling sugar and water on the stove top. When I make syrup in a busy restaurant, I prefer to use hot water from the red faucet of the coffee machine: It’s filtered water, and the temperature is generally 197-205 degrees Fahrenheit, a little below boiling (212 degrees). This is still hot enough to dissolve sugar and kill germs easily. I prefer this method because it’s fast. There’s no risk of browning the syrup, which can happen on the stovetop within seconds of being left for too long, and I don’t need to be in the kitchen staff’s way taking up valuable burner space. If you work in a large venue where the kitchen is far away, consider getting a hot plate to save trips to the kitchen. Just add the desired amount of hot water into a measuring cup and stir in with the sugar until it dissolves which should only take a few seconds, funnel into a bottle, label, and refrigerate. Always sterilize your bottles with boiling water, cool syrup before bottling, and keep it refrigerated to extend shelf life.
Rich Simple Syrup is 33% sweeter than Simple Syrup. So if a recipe calls for .75 oz Simple, you can substitute with .5 oz Rich Simple. I hope you find these tips and recipes useful.
Cheers!
Simple Syrups
Simple
(1:1 Lasts 1 Month)
1 part Sugar
1 part Boiling Water
Stir/Cool/Bottle/Refrigerate
Rich Simple Syrup
(2:1 Lasts 1 Month)
2 parts Sugar
1 part Boiling Water
Stir/Cool/Bottle/Refrigerate
Turbo (Rich Turbinado Syrup)
(2:1 Lasts 1 Month)
2 parts Raw Sugar (Turbinado or Demerara)
1 part Boiling Water
Stir/Cool/Bottle/Refrigerate
Agave Syrup
3 parts Agave
1 part Boiling Water
Stir/Cool/Bottle/Refrigerate
Honey Syrup
3 parts Honey
1 part Boiling Water
Stir/Cool/Bottle/Refrigerate
Compound Syrups
Herb Syrup
(1 month)
10 sprigs Fresh Herbs
16 oz Cold Simple
Blanch Herbs
(Boil Delicate Herbs 15 sec, Tough Herbs 30 sec, Ice bath 1 min)
Remove Leaves from Stems
Blend Leaves & Simple
Strain/Cool/Bottle/Refrigerate
Berry Syrup
(2:1:1 by Volume 3 weeks)
16 oz Berries
8 oz Sugar
8 oz Water
Muddle berries and simmer in water 5 min
Strain squeezing juice out, use a coffee filter for 2nd Strain
Add sugar to warm juice and stir until dissolved
Cool/Bottle/Refrigerate
Ginger Syrup
(1:1:1 by Volume 1 week)
1 part chopped Ginger
1 part Sugar
1 part boiling Water
Blend/Strain
Cool/Bottle/Refrigerate
Orgeat (Almond Traditionally, can be any nut)
(2 weeks)
10 oz toasted Nuts
4 cups Hot Water
8 cups Sugar
.25 oz Gum Syrup
1 bsp Orange Flower Water
Blend Nuts & Water
Strain through Nut Milk Bag
Blend Nut Milk & Remaining Ingredients
Melon Syrup
(1:1 4 Days)
1 part Melon Juice
1 part Cold Rich Simple
Blend Melon, Double Strain Juice
Stir/Bottle/Refrigerate
Grenadine
(1 Month)
16 oz Pomegranate Juice
16 oz Sugar
2 oz Pomegranate Molasses (opt)
1 bsp Orange Blossom Water (opt)
Heat Pom Juice until Steaming
Stir in other Ingredients until Dissolved
Cool/Bottle/Refrigerate
Oleo Saccharum
(2 Weeks)
Zests of 12 Lemons
16 oz Superfine Sugar
Zest 12 Lemons with peeler, leaving pith behind
Add Sugar to Zest in container
Let sit min 1 hr, periodically shake
It's ready to add to Punch
(Add 8 oz of room temp water, strain from Zest
Bottle & Shake till Sugar dissolves for individual Cocktails)
Donn’s Mix
(5 Days)
3 Cinnamon Sticks
1 cup Turbinado Sugar
1 cup Water
4 Cups Grapefruit
Crush Cinnamon Sticks/Simmer w/ Water 2 min
Add Sugar Stir
Cool 2 Hours
Add Grapefruit
Bottle/Refrigerate