Sugar syrup
Bar staples · usually a modifier · in 19 cocktails here
What it is
Equal parts sugar and hot water, stirred until clear. Keeps a month refrigerated and dissolves instantly, which granulated sugar will not.
Typically about £8 a bottle in the UK.
What it tastes like
Clean sweetness and nothing else, which is why it is preferred to any flavoured sweetener when balance is the only aim.
What it does in a drink
Sweetener and balance. Nearly every sour is an argument between this and the citrus.
Cocktails with sugar syrup
Unlocks 19 recipes on Drinki.
Best known
- Caipirinha IBA Muddle the lime with sugar in the glass. No shaker required.
- Daiquiri IBA Rum, lime, sugar. Nothing else, and nothing missing.
- Mint Julep IBA Crushed ice, packed to a dome, until the cup frosts over.
- Old Fashioned IBA Spirit, sugar, bitters, ice. The original definition of the word cocktail.
- Whiskey Sour IBA The template every other sour is a remix of.
- Bramble IBA Dick Bradsell, London, 1980s. Drizzle the liqueur so it bleeds down the ice.
- Espresso Martini IBA Only works with a fresh shot. Cold coffee will not foam.
- French 75 IBA Named after a field gun. It hits about that hard.
- Lemon Drop IBA Sherbet for adults, sugar rim mandatory.
- Sazerac IBA Rinse the glass, discard the absinthe. The ghost of it is the point.
- Southside IBA A mojito that went to a nicer school.
- Mojito IBA Press the mint, do not shred it. Bruised mint tastes like a lawn.
- Planter’s Punch IBA One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.
- Long Island Iced Tea IBA Five spirits and no tea. Proceed with respect.
- Gimlet Sharper and colder than you remember.
- Amaretto Sour A splash of bourbon stops it turning into marzipan.
- Nogroni Bitter, orange-led and adult. Grapefruit does the Campari’s job.
- Tom Collins A gin sour, stretched long with soda.
- Virgin Mojito All of the ritual, none of the rum.
What it pairs with
The ingredients that turn up alongside sugar syrup far more often than chance would predict.
Substitutes
- Agave syrup — slightly sweeter, so use a little less
- Honey — loosen with warm water first; adds its own flavour
It can itself stand in for agave syrup.