RECIPES: Homemade Syrups for your Cocktails & Mocktails
Essential Homemade Syrups for your Cocktails & Mocktails! These syrups are a super simple way to add some extra flavor to your cocktails, mocktails, or even your morning cup of coffee. They're surprisingly easy to make, here's how:
1. Rich Simple Syrup
Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar (or demerara sugar)
1 cup water
Steps:
Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool, then pour into a glass jar and seal tightly with a lid.
This sweeter option of simple syrup can be used to add more body to drinks and reduce dilution, making it a great choice for thinner cocktails, frozen cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks that would benefit from added weight.
2. Ginger Syrup
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup ginger, peeled and chopped
Steps:
Use it to spice up your Hot Toddy or Whiskey Sour, or try it in zero-proof drinks to compensate for the lack of alcoholic burn.
3. Honey Syrup
Ingredients:1/2 cup honey (adjust to taste)
1/2 cup water
Steps:
Add the honey and water into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the honey is dissolved. Allow to cool and transfer to an airtight container. Syrup will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 month.
Use in the Bees Knees Cocktail or the Gold Rush Cocktail.
4. Cinnamon Syrup
Ingredients:3 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Steps:
Add the sugar and water into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add cinnamon stick pieces. Cover and allow to infuse for at least 6 hours. Strain out the solids and bottle. Will keep, tightly sealed and refrigerated, for up to 1 month.
Use in the cocktail Jet Pilot, the warm drink Francophile, or to spice up your coffee or tea.
4. Vanilla Syrup
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Steps:
Add water and sugar into a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and add the vanilla bean. Let steep for several hours. Strain into a jar or bottle. Will keep, tightly sealed and refrigerated, for up to one month.
Use in a P*rn Star Martini, in the mocktail Shot in the Dark, in your coffee, tea, or diet coke.
5. Mint Syrup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
3/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup boiling water
Steps:
Combine the sugar and mint leaves in a heatproof bowl. Add the boiling water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Steep the mint leaves for 15 minutes. Strain into a jar, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Use as more shelf-stable version of mint in a mojito or as an easy way to recreate the Philz Coffee Iced Mint Mojito Iced Coffee!
6. Basil Syrup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
Steps:
Bring the water to a boil, then add the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the basil leaves and steep for 15 minutes. Strain into a clean jar, cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.