(Not So) Simple, Flavored, & Spiced Syrups

[eje]

I've made my way through "Mixologist: The Journal of the American Cocktail" and one of the articles I found most interesting was Darcy O'Neil's, "The Definitive Guide to Simple Syrup".

Some basic facts, as I understand them, from the article. I'm not a chemist, so feel free to correct what I get wrong.

Simple Syrup (Gomme) is made by dissolving some quantity of sugar (sucrose) in water. The most basic is made by dissolving one part sucrose in one part water.

Sucrose is a disaccharide, meaning it is a complex sugar made up of 2 molecules of simple sugars. Sucrose is made up of one molecule of Glucose bound to one molecule of Fructose.

When Sucrose is dissolved in water, some sucrose molecules break down into their component simple sugars. The more energy which is applied to the dissolving of sucrose, the more molecules of the complex sugar which will break down into their component simple sugars. If you simmer Sucrose in water for an half an hour or so the majority of Sucrose molecules will have been broken down into Glucose and Fructose and you will have what is called an "Invert Sugar". Invert Sugars have significantly different physical and taste properties from Complex Sugars.

For drink making the most important thing is consistency.

Since I grew up in the 60s and 70s, and started cooking in the 80s, I inevitably was told "Refined Sugar is Bad". Initially, this made me try to increase the amount of brown sugar in my cooking. I have since discovered that brown sugar is nothing but refined sugar with some portion of its molasses mixed back in, so I was not avoiding refined sugar at all by using it! Lately, I have been taken with a product called Washed Raw Sugar. It is an amber colored free flowing large crystal sugar product which is made from unrefined cane syrup. In England it is called Turbinado. Demerara is the fanciest turbinado style sugar. I will also note that C & H's Washed Raw Sugar is their only product which does not pass through bone char filters made from the carbonized cattle skeletons.

My method is to combine one cup of Washed Raw Sugar with one cup of water. I then bring it to a bare simmer, remove from heat, and stir until all the crystals dissolve. At this point I cool it to room temperature, pour into a clean sealable jar, and refridgerate.

As you can see this makes an amber colored slightly viscous syrup. The only variations I make with any consistency are a lemon zest infused syrup for lemonade or my non-traditional juleps and a ginger infused syrup for cocktails. To make these, I simply add the ingredients to the cooling syrup, and then strain before refridgerating.

What is your simple syrup method? Have you discovered any exciting or useful simple syrup infusions?

Added original author attribution.

Edited May 23, 2005 by eje (log)

[eje]

I'm not over fond of the plain traditional mint juleps; but, perhaps I've never had a really good one. This recipe is based on one I saw on Martha Stewart's TV show, pre-incarceration. It makes 6-8, depending on how generous you are with the lemonade.

Lemon infused simple syrup,

Wash and zest 5 lemons (save lemons for lemonade!)

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Bring water and sugar to a bare simmer, remove from heat, and give it a few stirs to dissolve. Dump in lemon zest. Cool and strain. Will keep fairly indefinitely in a covered jar in the refridgerator.

Lemonade:

5 Lemons

Lemon Infused simple syrup

water

Juice lemons. Add an equal part water to lemon juice, and sweeten to taste with Lemon Infused simple syrup.

Lemony Mint Juleps

1 1/2 ounce (1 jigger) Bourbon

1 1/2 ounce Lemonade

Mint

Ice

fizzy water

Add a few mint mint leaves to the bottom of a tall glass with the lemonade. Mash it with the end of a wooden spoon. Add ice, bourbon, top with a little fizzy water, stir to combine and garnish with a mint sprig.

[JAZ]

One thing that never occurred to me until reading this post by Audrey (libationgoddess) was to make simple syrups without heating at all. I really liked the lime syrup she suggests.

I don't know how much sugar you can get into solution without heating, though.

I've been meaning to try simple syrup with Demerara; I'm interested to see how it differs from syrup with white sugar, which is what I always use.

[phaelon56]

A few years ago I began using a smidge of "raw sugar" or Demarara in my short latte's (typically one part espresso with 2 to 3 parts steamed milk - the traditional proportions). I always detested conventional refined sugar in coffee or an espresso drink due to the intensity of its sweetness but I really enjoy the raw sugar in moderation and find it to have a noticeably different flavor. I should think that flavor difference would carry over very nicely to simple syrup.

More recently I was exposed to agave nectar . It's not quite apropos to a discussion of simple syrup but both by virtue of it blending quite easily in cold liquids and also being derived from the agave cactus that is used to make tequila - it offers some good potential as a cocktail sweetener.

It's touted as having a low glycemic index, making it appropriate for some diabetics, but I don't know the particulars of that. I do know that it has a clean natural sweetness quite unlike sugar or honey.

[slkinsey]

I've made Dave Wondrich's "rich simple syrup," which is a 2:1 syrup with demerara sugar. I like it quite a bit. It's not something I'd add to a gin cocktail, because I think it would add too much richness and color, but it's my first stop for "brown liquor" cocktails.

Just last night I used some to make Dave's Tombstone cocktail (which is more or less Jerry Thomas' Whiskey Cocktail). As I made it, it's 3 ounces of Wild Turkey 101 proof rye whiskey, 1/4 ounce of 2:1 demerara simple syrup and 2 big dashes of aromatic bitters stirred with cracked ice, strained into a chilled class and garnished with a fat twist of lemon.

I'm also interested in experimenting with different syrups, although to be honest I don't tend to use them a lot in mixing drinks. Right now I have the rich demerara syrup, a regular 1:1 simple syrup and a 1:1 lime syrup in the fridge.

I've made the lime syrup before using Audrey's method of doing a cold infusion of lime zest into the syrup. I just made up another batch a few nights ago, and decided to try infusing the lime zest into around an ounce of vodka for 30 minutes of so before putting the whole works into the syrup for the rest of the infusion. I think I might like this way even better. The alcohol seemed to take some of the spicy, pungent oils out of the zest that must not be very soluble in just water. As a result, the finished lime syrup has the character of what I'd call a "muddled lime syrup." Those who are familiar with the characteristic difference between a drink made with muddled limes as opposed to the same drink made with just fresh lime juice will know what I'm talking about.

Still thinking about a few other syrups to add. I tasted a Bee's Knees at Milk & Honey that was really delicious, so I am thinking of experimenting with honey syrup (honey thinned out with a little water to make it flow).

[trillium]

I really enjoyed reading that article too. I usually used dried cane syrup in all my cocktails. I don't find it overpowers the drinks, but then, I'm using a 1:1 ratio and I like things pretty sour. It is especially good in rum based drinks (of course).

I'm wondering if anyone has hit on a good way to keep their syrup from getting moldy without refrigeration. I have no room in my fridge for the bottles, so it means I don't make it up until I need it and that can get frustrating when you're in a hurry. I've thought about adding a little vodka but I've been too lazy to figure out how much you'd need.

regards,

trillium

[Splificator]

I switched to Demerara or turbinado syrup after a trip to Trinidad, where white sugar was hard to find. All it took was a couple rounds of cocktails and I was convinced. I like the depth and mellowness of flavor raw sugar adds. It's a background thing, though; very subtle. Like Sam, I'll use white sugar in a clear drink when I care about how it looks, but otherwise it's the dark stuff all the way (I will use this in a Holland Gin Cocktail, because I prefer the flavor).

I like a 2:1 ratio as opposed to a 1:1 because you can use the thicker stuff pretty much interchangably in quantity with granulated sugar and there's less unnecessary water added to the drink (I call this "rich simple syrup" because I don't know what else to call it). To prevent mold forming, I'll tip in about half an ounce of 151 Demerara rum or grain alcohol per 750-ml bottle. Works like a charm.

I've been experimenting with syrups made from other sugars over the past couple of years. I particularly like what happens when you melt piloncillo, the Central/South American loaf sugar. It's very funky stuff--hard as a rock, and a pain in the neck to melt, but it's got a really rustic, sugarcane taste that I really like in rum punches and similar things (sometimes I find bits of cane fiber floating in the syrup when I melt it, and there's always a bit of sediment at the bottom of the pan). I also like syrup made from jaggery, Indian palm sugar. Very fruity and sweet, if unfilterably cloudy. And I agree about the agave nectar. Interesting stuff. Honey syrup works nicely in Scotch sours.

And Sam--that's a hell of a Tombstone! (I make mine with a mere 2 oz whiskey.)

[trillium]

Thanks for the tip. I'll make up a batch and try it with a little rum to prevent spoilage. I don't have white sugar in the house, not for any dietary purpose but just becaue I really like the taste of the dehydrated cane juice and raw sugar I buy. One thing to notice if you try dehydrated cane juice, it's acidic in comparison to plain sugar, and makes things a darker brown then raw sugar does. I love the idea of making a simple syrup from piloncillo. We use palm sugar a lot in our SE Asian cooking, but I'm not sure I'd like the vegetal taste in my cocktail. We usually use something that comes from Malaysia or Thailand. The jaggery I buy is actual date sugar, not palm, which could be interesting in a syrup too. I guess simple syrup doesn't have to be so simple afterall, huh?

I also tried using a 2:1 ratio last night for orange mint mojitos instead of my usual 1:1. It did make a richer, fizzier drink, since it left more room for the soda water. They were so good we had to make another round with lemons since we ran out of limes. We're still debating what to call them. I really recommend the orange mint for cocktails, it has a lovely fragrance, and as my favorite chocolatier says, it doesn't have that cooling effect that normal mint has.

regards,

trillium

[eje]

I ... decided to try infusing the lime zest into around an ounce of vodka for 30 minutes of so before putting the whole works into the syrup for the rest of the infusion...The alcohol seemed to take some of the spicy, pungent oils out of the zest that must not be very soluble in just water.  As a result, the finished lime syrup has the character of what I'd call a "muddled lime syrup."

At this point you're about 3/4s of the way towards making lime liqueur. Why not go the rest of the way?

Interestingly, according to Paul Clark's Gimlet article in Mixologist, prior to Lauchlin Rose's patented alcohol free method of preserving Lime Juice, the British Navy preserved lime juice by fortifying it to 15% alcohol using Demerara Rum.

The 2:1 tip is good. I was wondering where the point was that sugar syrup and granulated sugar were about the same per volume.

Boy some other interesting sugars are mentioned. I have a daiquiri recipe from the Coyote Cafe, where you cut up a pineapple, and then macerate it in light and dark rum with Piloncillo and a vanilla bean. Strain out the pineapple, add lime juice and chill in the freezer. Dangerously tasty stuff. I love dates, so will have to keep an eye out for date sugar.

I've recently noticed Agave nectar at Whole Foods near the honey, and was wondering what it was like. I first noticed it a few years ago when they started using it to sweeten Odwalla's Juices. Another thing that has shown up on my radar this year is "Lyle's Golden Syrup". It's a concentrated invert sugar syrup sold in England as a condiment type sweetener. Might be fun or at least an add water shortcut for simple syrup.

Maple Syrup might have too strong a taste; but, perhaps in the right company, it could be an interesting sweetener for a midwestern themed cocktail.

[johnnyd]

I'm also interested in experimenting with different syrups, although to be honest I don't tend to use them a lot in mixing drinks. Right now I have the rich demerara syrup, a regular 1:1 simple syrup and a 1:1 lime syrup in the fridge.

Last weekend I picked some fresh mint and added a handful it to a 1:1 simple syrup, about a cup and a half's worth. After a day in the fridge it took on a faint green color. I added it to some Cape Verde Rum that I have on hand (1:1) and it was superb.

I forgot about it until last night when the syrup appeared to be a really brown color and the mint leaves were looking, well, nothing like mint. Tasted okay, maybe a bit concentrated, but I didn't trust it anymore so out it went.

Question: Is there a moment when I should have removed the mint or is the shelf life just plain old short had I left it in or not? I used regular domino sugar.

[slkinsey]

Mint syrup can be good right after it is infused, but it degrades very quickly and really is no substitute for fresh mint. Even one-day-old mint syrup tastes a little funny if you're expecting a real mint flavor. I'm guessing you tasted yours just before it started going downhill. Since it's really no more trouble to muddle fresh mint than it is to infuse a mint syrup, that's what I do. By and large, I don't find herbal infusions of simple syrup to be very effective (or worth the extra trouble versus muddling).

WRT leaving the flavoring ingredient in the syrup long, term. . . I don't think it's a good idea. Most ingredients, such as mint leaves, citrus zest, and that sort of thing, will continue to degrade. They most likely won't spoil, but they'll turn brown, etc. Also, you will almost certainly end up over-infusing the syrup. Think of it like making a cup of coffee. If you brew the coffee for 5 minutes, you'll get all the flavors you want and have a delicious cup of coffee. If you brew the coffee for 20 minutes, you'll have an oily, bitter, disgusting cup of coffee. My general rule of thumb when infusing most anything is to infuse it up to the point where you have the flavor you like, and then remove the flavoring agent.

That said, I can see certain special cases that might be different. If you had a bottle of simple syrup and kept a vanilla bean in there, or a piece of star anise or something like that, it would probably work out okay.

[johnnyd]

Very helpful, Sam!

The one-day infusion is the way to go, remove mint and keep for use in two days. I did bruise the leaves first but didn't notice much strength until the next day. Since the Kentucky Derby, I've been messing w/infusions... The little rum concoction was a revelation.

I happen to have a few vanilla beans so I'm going to experiment and post results with those. I've noticed a couple of interesting cocktails using vanilla vodka hither and yon.

On another topic, you've got Marlene beat, pal. No one can top a Thanksgiving dinner like yours. You da man!

[slkinsey]

The one-day infusion is the way to go, remove mint and keep for use in two days.  I did bruise the leaves first but didn't notice much strength until the next day. Since the Kentucky Derby, I've been messing w/infusions... The little rum concoction was a revelation.

With anything that comes in leaf form, I think you're better off just muddling rather than making an infused syrup. And, when it comes down to it, it's probably a little easier to do. Give it a try: Make the mint-infused syrup and do a drink with that. Then make the same drink using unflavored simple syrup and a few leaves of muddled fresh mint. I bet you'll like the muddled version much more, and will find that it's less trouble than doing the infusion.

[Ed Hamilton]

To understand a little more about sugar production, the different kinds of sugar and how they are made, here's a link to some sugar facts at sugar.org.

As for making your simple syrup last longer without refrigeration, the easiest thing to do is add more sugar. Before the days of refrigeration, sugar was used more as a preservative than a sweetener. When I make sugar syrup on my boat I heat the syrup, while constantly stirring so it doesn't boil over and make a huge mess, and add sugar until no more sugar will dissolve. Then I add a little more water and stir until everything is dissolved.

Adding a little overproof rum helps the shelf life but adding alcohol to hot syrup tends to evaporate the alcohol. I've been able to keep sugar syrup as much as three months in the tropics if I've been meticulous about keeping the bottle covered and the top clean.

[KatieLoeb]

I've had good luck making herb infused simple syrups by placing the leaves (usually just mint, but occasionally a mix of two parts mint to one part each cilantro and basil) in the blender container, topping with the still hot simple syrup and whirling it up to steep the shreds in the hot liquid. I allow it to cool overnight in the fridge and then strain through a coffee filter or fine mesh strainer. I've kept this for several months (refrigerated and tightly capped, of course) with no degradation in flavor at all.

Either of these infused syrups make for a lovely deconstructed julep of sorts with bourbon and/or club soda or ginger ale. The mint simple syrup is delicious with sparkling wine and pineapple juice for a Pineapple-Mint Mimosa. Quite the refreshing summer beverage.

[slkinsey]

Here's what I have in the refrigerator these days. From left to right: 1:1 simple syrup, 2:1 cane syrup (made with dehydrated cane juice), 2:1 demerara syrup, 1:1 ginger syrup (infused both hot and cold), 1:1 lime syrup.

[Ed Hamilton]

I've been experimenting with syrups made from other sugars over the past couple of years. I particularly like what happens when you melt piloncillo, the Central/South American loaf sugar. It's very funky stuff--hard as a rock, and a pain in the neck to melt, but it's got a really rustic, sugarcane taste that I really like in rum punches and similar things (sometimes I find bits of cane fiber floating in the syrup when I melt it, and there's always a bit of sediment at the bottom of the pan).

I've had very good luck softening hardened sugar by heating it in a microwave for about 20 seconds or as needed depending on the amount of sugar.

Sam, your sugar cane syrup looks very good. I wish you'd sampled the sugar cane syrup I had with my in NY last week. Where do you find dehydrated cane juice?

[slkinsey]

Sam, your sugar cane syrup looks very good. I wish you'd sampled the sugar cane syrup I had with my in NY last week. Where do you find dehydrated cane juice?

I did try your cane syrup when we tried all your rums that first time down at Flatiron. This is actually roughly comparable, although I think your syrup might have had some vanilla as well.

Anyway, you can find dehydrated cane juice at just about any health food store. You can even get a less refined version called Sucanat that is also widely available, but I thought that would have too much of a molasses character to match your syrup (which was my goal).

[bacchant036]

a couple of weeks ago we tried making a lavender syrup,

it turned out fantastic, worked brilliantly w apple and i was excited and looking forwards to getting some drinks on the list w it.

on going back to it 2 weeks later i discovered it had started to ferment,

anyone know how i can stop this from happening in the future?

[Dave the Cook]

Up above, Dave Wondrich suggested adding half an ounce of 151 rum. I've done this with rich syrup, and at two weeks, it's still fine.

[slkinsey]

The four things that increase shelf stability seem to be:

1. You can't keep the lavender in the syrup for two weeks. If it's a flavored/infused simple syrup, strain out the flavoring agent after no more than a day or two. It shouldn't take more than a day or so to infuse simple syrup. If it's taking substantially longer, consider infusing the flavoring agent into an ounce or so of high proof alcohol for several hours and then mixing the flavoring agent and the alcohol into the (cooled) simple syrup for maybe a day more of infusion.

2. Increase the saturation. For example, 2:1 simple syrup is more stable than 1:1 simple syrup. Don't go below 1:1.

3. Dose your (cooled) simple syrup with a bit of high proof spirits.

4. Keep the simple syrup under refrigeration.

Especially for a commercial operation, two week old simple syrup strikes me as too old, unless you're using the last few drops. Many sugar infusions will begin to lose their bright flavors after around a week. Better to make in small batches and plan on making a new batch on a biweekly basis.

[eje]

I made a Lavender sorbet this last weekend using this recipe and fresh English Lavender flowers from my garden. It turned out really fantastic, especially doused with a little homemade limoncello. I was thinking something like Cortez Restaurant's Elderflower no. 10 (Tanqueray no. ten gin, fresh lemon juice, d'arbo elderflower syrup, orange bitters, lemon twist) might be pretty tasty with Lavender syrup.

What apple based concoction did you make?

[Ed Hamilton]

A few weeks ago, I ran out of sugar cane syrup and tried without much success to duplicate what I get bottled in Martinique, though sklinsey's dehydrated sugar cane juice was the best I could make from sugar and water. I'm still trying to figure out the difference between expensive sugar and dehydrated sugar cane juice.

After a lot of frustration which I won't go into here, yesterday I got the first bottles of Martinique sugar cane syrup for export to the USBut the FDA, being what it is, can't say when this syrup will be available in the US because the entry procedure is ambiguous at best. If the FDA decides to take samples, at their whim, the shipment could be held for months while I pay for storage, etc., but they could decide not to bother with something produced in a sanitary food factory on a French Caribbean island.

The good news is that I've been able to convince the factory to send me back to the states with some 5cl samples that have to be hand filled, a very time consuming process. Some of these samples will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to egullet society members by sending me a pm and giving me an address where you can recieve a small package.

[mbanu]

2. Increase the saturation.  For example, 2:1 simple syrup is more stable than 1:1 simple syrup.  Don't go below 1:1.

←

I don't even bother with 1:1 syrup anymore. There's just not enough sugar for it to be stable. I suppose the most instructive moment I had was when my 1:1 grenadine (which technically contains more sugar than 1:1 simple syrup, mind you) spontaneously fermented when I left it out of the fridge. :)

I haven't had any problems at all with 2:1 syrup, even left out at room temperature, and it mixes just as easily as 1:1. Granted I usually go through a batch a month, so I can't really say anything about the shelf life beyond that, but it seems like a good basepoint.

[slkinsey]

Yea, there are good reasons to go with 2:1. The problem with using it, to a certain extent, is that many of the new recipes call for simple syrup at 1:1. It's easy to make without heating, overpours aren't as much of a concern and the bar will likely be ditching any unused simple syrup after service anyway.

The problem is that it doesn't necessarily follow that a half ounce of 2:1 simple syrup has the same sweetening power as a full ounce of 1:1 simple syrup. One ounce of 1:1 simple syrup contains about 17.75 grams of sucrose. A half ounce of 2:1 simple syrup contains only about 14 grams of sucrose.

So you have to be careful in executing a recipe to make sure you know what kind of simple syrup you should be using and adjust accordingly. This is an issue when attempting some of the old-school drinks including citrus, until you read their recipe for simple syrup and realize that they're using a supersaturated syrup.