A cocktail syrup is essentially sugar dissolved into water, often flavoured with fruit, herbs, spices, or other ingredients. It adds sweetness while also allowing you to introduce flavour and texture to a cocktail.
As a base, simple syrup is created with a 1:1 ratio.
equal parts caster sugar and water. this can also be made with demerara sugar for a warmer caramel flavour.
heat in a saucepan and GENTLY bring to the boil, once all sugar is dissolved rapidly cool and pour into a sterilised sealed bottle or jar.
Fruit.
Any fruit can be added to the syrup during the standard cooking process. Take care with softer fruits as they will release much more sugars at a faster rate. Be sure to strain the syrup before bottling to prevent fruit pieces fermenting.
Herbs.
Fresh delicate herbs will need to be added after the syrup has reached a boil. Let them brew in the hot syrup for 10-20 minutes so they can gently release the oils and flavours.
Spices.
spices are similar to herbs in regards to cooking methods but may require a longer brewing period.
In some cases you may not get the exact flavour profile your was looking for. if the sweetness is too much try adding a little acid to counter the sugar. lemon juice or citric acid should brighten it up and bring out a more hidden flavour.
Food colouring is also very helpful, especialy with herbal and spiced syrups where the colour is more subtle. Not too much or it’ll contaminate the flavours.
Homemade syrups can never retain the shelf life of a commercial brand so stick with a 1-2 week use-by date.
discard any syrup that shows any mold, fermentation or bad odors.
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