One half of a simple syrup

It’s exactly what the name implies that it is, a syrup that is very simple.

Simple syrup is just sugar and boiling water, stirred together until the sugar dissolves.

A really wide variety of different cocktail recipes call for simple syrup, and if you change the ratio of sugar to water then it can also be used for glazing candied fruit, or for glazing cakes and biscuits.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of sugar glazed anything, but I do like cocktails, so I’m going to stick to a basic ratio of equal amounts of water and sugar. Some people prefer to use either two parts water to one part sugar, or one part sugar to two parts water, you can experiment with these ratios and then stick with whichever you prefer.

When to use it

Simple syrup is most often used in drinks which also contain lemon, lime or grapefruit juice. The idea is that you use the sugary syrup to balance out the bitterness of the citrus fruit.

If you are making a cocktail from a recipe then stick to what the recipe calls for, or if you are making a new drink of your own then the general rule to follow is that you should use the same amount of simple syrup as you do of citrus juice.

Let’s get simple

1. Measure your water into a pan and bring it to the boil, then turn it down so that it is just simmering.

2. Measure an equal amount of white sugar.

3. Pour the sugar slowly into the simmering water, stirring as you pour.

4. Continue stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely and the liquid turns clear.

5. Once the syrup is clear, take it off of the heat, and leave it to cool before pouring it into a sealable bottle and put it in the fridge

I’ve been told that simple syrup will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months, but I wouldn’t keep it more than about 2 weeks. It is so quick and easy to make that there is really no reason to make it in vast amounts, so you shouldn’t need to keep it for that long anyway.

Let’s get complex

You don’t have to stick to simple syrup, you can use the same basic recipe for other types of syrup to liven up your drinks.

Replace the white sugar with brown sugar for a more mellow taste. This is great for drinks like the ‘old fashioned’.

Try adding ginger, cinammon, cardamom, or anything else you fancy to the syrup at the same time as you dissolve the sugar. You might want to keep it on the heat for a while longer to let the flavours infuse more.