There’s a long-running joke behind the bar that goes like this: “It’s not called ‘Complicated Syrup’!” and it’s just about every bartender’s go-to joke when one of our coworkers screws up the simple syrup.
There’s a reason why it isn’t called “Complicated Syrup”. If you can heat water on a stovetop, you’re on your way to making drinks like a pro. But it can be a little complicated and daunting if you’ve never had to do it before. I remember when I first really sat down to learn how to make simple syrup the right way, it was a little overwhelming to find all of these lengthy articles on the internet and in books. They talked about brix and solubility and pH and all this other stuff that, quite frankly, isn’t really necessary to know.
I did go into this topic at fairly great length in my first book, The Bar Book: Elements of co*cktail Technique, if you want to read more about simple syrup. And if you want a doctorate course in it, I highly recommend my friend Dave Arnold’s book Liquid Intelligence. But here I’m going to pare it down to what you really need to know,whether you’re a home user or a bartender, about simple syrup in order to make great drinks.
The most important thing you should know about making simple syrup is that in order to maintain consistency and be certain that the drinks you’re making are tasting just like my recipes, or anyone else’s recipes for that matter, is you have to measure your sugar and water by weight. To put it in the clearest terms I know, the volume of sugar is variable depending on what type or brand of sugar you’re using. But a pound of sugar will always be a pound of sugar. So when we talk about ratios like 2:1 and 1:1, we’re talking about sugar:water. Get yourself an inexpensive digital kitchen scale if you don’t already have one.
On this site and in my bars, I only use 2:1 simple syrup. I used to use 1:1 and really grew to prefer 2:1. Here’s why:
- It lasts longer. 2:1 simple syrup is much less prone to spoilage than 1:1 is, as the 1:1 ratio is much more hospitable to mold and bacteria. 2:1 simply (heh) contains too much sugar.
- Your drinks are slightly richer. I learned this in Europe, where most bars use 2:1 simple. Makes sense, right? Less water, more flavor? Sure. The drinks are just a little more rich in the mid-palate, which is where flavor lives.
- It takes up less space. I mean, just slightly, but in a professional environment every inch counts.
Anyway, here’s how we do it.
- Weigh out some sugar. Doesn’t matter how much, really. When I make this at home I just eyeball it and divide the weight of the sugar by two. You need a recipe? There’s one below.
- Weigh out half that amount in water. Did you use 1 kg of sugar? Then weigh out 500 grams of water. You got this.
- Put the sugar and water in a pan, and put it on the stove.
- Turn the heat to low and stir to combine.
- Stir the mixture occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Let the mixture cool and pop it in a squeeze bottle or two.
- Store it in the fridge.
I like using these clear squeeze bottles for mine. If it’s gone bad, you’ll be able to tell. No mold or weirdly colored spots? You’re good to go.
Anyway, that’s all there is to it. You can now make any of the recipes that call for simple syrup on this website or in any of my other writing. Go nuts!
Simple Syrup Print Me
- 1 pound/453 grams cane sugar
- ½ pound (8 ounces)/226 grams water
- Weigh sugar and water.
- Put the sugar and water in a pan, and put it on the stove.
- Turn the heat to low and stir to combine.
- Stir the mixture occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat.
- Let the mixture cool and put into the container of your choice.
- Store in the refridgerator.
Recipe printed courtesy of jeffreymorgenthaler.com
