(Not So) Simple, Flavored, & Spiced Syrups

[Hassouni]

Yeah I did by volume, but the sugar was pretty tightly packed.

[FrogPrincesse]

OK, what gives, I thought a 2:1 syrup was essentially immune to mold? My 2:1 piloncillo syrup has barely been sitting around a week in a sterilized container, and the surface is COVERED in mold!

How well did the piloncillo dissolve? Maybe there were some impurities floating at the surface that ended up growing mold?

[mkayahara]

In a Wondrich recipe in Beta Cocktails, piloncillo (or maybe it's gula jawa?) sugar syrup is an ingredient, and there's a note saying that it must be refrigerated, as it will ferment on you. I imagine that these unrefined sugars are a lot less microbiologically stable than white sugar is.

[thirtyoneknots]

In a Wondrich recipe in Beta Cocktails, piloncillo (or maybe it's gula jawa?) sugar syrup is an ingredient, and there's a note saying that it must be refrigerated, as it will ferment on you. I imagine that these unrefined sugars are a lot less microbiologically stable than white sugar is.

Good call, I had totally forgotten about that tidbit.

[Hassouni]

OK, what gives, I thought a 2:1 syrup was essentially immune to mold? My 2:1 piloncillo syrup has barely been sitting around a week in a sterilized container, and the surface is COVERED in mold!

How well did the piloncillo dissolve? Maybe there were some impurities floating at the surface that ended up growing mold?

It was completely dissolved, from what I could tell.

In a Wondrich recipe in Beta Cocktails, piloncillo (or maybe it's gula jawa?) sugar syrup is an ingredient, and there's a note saying that it must be refrigerated, as it will ferment on you. I imagine that these unrefined sugars are a lot less microbiologically stable than white sugar is.

Ah, crap. Hah.

I should note that all my other syrups a) go straight in the fridge and b) get a shot of vodka, and I've had zero problems with them, and they've been in their for months and months and months. I figured 2:1 was invincible....

Edited June 1, 2012 by Hassouni (log)

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Ok, here's a question. Obviously Apricot syrup belongs in sidecars, and I can find any number of uses for cherry, passionfruit, and citrus. I currently am working on a batch of lemon that came out tasting like the best lemon curd ever; I'll be quite sad when the bottles are empty.

However! I have recently ended up with quite a large supply of both Mirabel-vanilla (black plum), Peach with Cinnamon, and Mango syrups (they're byproducts of jam, fruit in spiced syrup of their own juices, and chutney, respectively). Does anybody have any good recipes that might work with these? Or should they be relegated to the soda fountain? The Mirabel is sweet but still has quite a nice tang to it; the vanilla comes in as an aftertaste - it's in there to round off the edges of the plum. The Mango is very sweet with a mild pine finish (I started with Reina mangoes, which are very sweet even on their own.) Peach with Cinnamon is exactly as advertised.

[slkinsey]

Apricot syrup belongs in Sidecars?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I think it does, and so do many of my mixologist acquaintances. Not very much of it, mind - about 1/2 to 1/4 part.

[Dan Perrigan]

Apricot syrup belongs in Sidecars?

I just asked my computer screen the exact same thing

[Panaderia Canadiense]

To each their own. For me, since I generally use an Apricot brandy in my Sidecars, a little hit of Apricot syrup serves to round off the aggressive orange-ness of the drink (particularly since Cointreau is more than $200 a bottle here, so I'm generally using triple sec in its place). It's how I learned to mix them, and I don't care that it's not strictly traditional. It's better.

I'll generally only indulge in a Sidecar if I know I'll be drinking Champagne or similar spumante wines later in the evening, I find that the extra hint of apricot will help my tastebuds ignore the fact that what I'm drinking is most likely a bit rotten (I have yet to have a good glass of Champagne in Ecuador - most of it is at the very least bruised if not outright bad.)

And none of this addresses my question, which was what to do with Mango, Spiced Peach, and Plum-Vanilla syrups, cocktail-wise.

[Tri2Cook]

And none of this addresses my question, which was what to do with Mango, Spiced Peach, and Plum-Vanilla syrups, cocktail-wise.

Maybe not but when you make the statement "Obviously Apricot syrup belongs in sidecars" it's not surprising if someone points out that apricot syrup does not in fact "belong" in a Sidecar. That's not saying that it's not tasty or that you shouldn't put it in yours if you prefer it that way... but then the argument may arise that it's no longer a Sidecar.

Anyway, in my non-expert opinion, the mango syrup could probably find a home in tiki-land stepping in for mango nectar with a little tweaking to compensate the extra sweetness and spiced peach sounds like a nice fit in something bourbon based. I have no idea about the plum-vanilla other than it sounds tasty.

[Mjx]

. . . .

And none of this addresses my question, which was what to do with Mango, Spiced Peach, and Plum-Vanilla syrups, cocktail-wise.

Keeping in mind I'm about as far from having any sort of cocktail knowledge as is possible without growing up in some sort of stringent anti-alcohol community, would a riff on a daiquiri be an option? I had (please, please don't laugh) what was described as a rhubarb daiquiri the other night, and it was quite good (although my boyfriend and his friend exchanged amused looks). The syrup in it was vanilla, but I could definitely see doing something similar using a fruit syrup.

[Yojimbo]

. . . .

And none of this addresses my question, which was what to do with Mango, Spiced Peach, and Plum-Vanilla syrups, cocktail-wise.

Plum/vanilla sounds like it might be an excellent match with gin, particularly with something sour or bitter (citrus, vermouth/amaro) to balance out the sweetness of the fruit.

Keeping in mind I'm about as far from having any sort of cocktail knowledge as is possible without growing up in some sort of stringent anti-alcohol community, would a riff on a daiquiri be an option? I had (please, please don't laugh) what was described as a rhubarb daiquiri the other night, and it was quite good (although my boyfriend and his friend exchanged amused looks). The syrup in it was vanilla, but I could definitely see doing something similar using a fruit syrup.

It's kinda hard to go seriously wrong by adding rum and lime to almost any fruit juice or puree, but that begs the question (as folks raised above with regard to sidecars) of whether the result is any more a "true" daiquiri than those abominable flavored vodka creations that are called "martinis."

If it tastes good to you, it IS good, so don't let orthodoxy get in the way of having fun with mixing drinks!

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Oh, I never do, Yojimbo! I'll definitely be trying some rum-based fruity concoctions (if you want to get down to brass tacks, it's not even technically a Daiquiri if you're using anything other than Bacardi White - which means that anything I'm going to be making with be a "bastard" version since BW is over $80 a bottle here, so I tend to use Aguardiente Reposado....)

Here's a question for those of you who mix Caipirinhas - do you think that a shot of fruit simple in place of the sugar would be advisable, if I were to want to create a fruitier version of the cocktail? I've got access to some truly excellent cachaça pura and I'm kind of itching to try this to celebrate the Fiesta de Frutas y Flores, which is currently going on in my city.... Brass tacks, though, I don't want to waste a single drop of the pura, so if this doesn't sound completely awful to y'all I'll whip one up and let you know the results.

[Tri2Cook]

If it tastes good to you, it IS good, so don't let orthodoxy get in the way of having fun with mixing drinks!

I actually agree with this. If I like a drink, I really don't care what the guy down the bar looking down his nose at it thinks. But I also don't mind if I'm mistaken about something and someone steers me the right way. In fact, I prefer they do. I'd rather know what is correct even if I choose to vary from it for my own purposes. There's never shame in gaining knowledge.

[Baselerd]

Just made a pretty awesome vanilla syrup/garnish combination (actually out of a dessert book, Dessert Fourplays). If you have any vanilla beans (or scraped vanilla beans from baking), you can cut the vanilla bean husk lengthwise into thin strips, then simmer them in simple syrup for an hour or so. Remove the beans, dry them by setting them on parchment paper, and then roll them in granulated sugar.

The result is some pretty nice vanilla bean syrup with suspended vanilla bean seeds. And as a bonus, you get some crystallized vanilla bean strips for garnish.

[mkayahara]

(if you want to get down to brass tacks, it's not even technically a Daiquiri if you're using anything other than Bacardi White...

Are you maybe thinking of the Bacardi Cocktail?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I'm thinking of my cocktail book from 1934 and its recipe for the Daiquiri which is quite specific.

[EvergreenDan]

My go-to cocktail for fruit liqueurs, syrups or juices is a flavored caipirinha or (if it were muddled fruit, a batida). For a syrup, I'd try:

2 oz cachaca

.5 oz syrup

.5 to .75 oz lime juice.

Adjust for sweetness and fruit intensity. For tart liqueurs, I go as high as 1:1:0.5.

There is something about the earthy, funky cachaca that seems to go a bit better than molasses rum, in most cases. I tend to prefer a daiquiri with a really wonderful rum, where the simplicity of the lime and pure sugar leaves the rum in the foreground.

[Mjx]

. . . .

Keeping in mind I'm about as far from having any sort of cocktail knowledge as is possible without growing up in some sort of stringent anti-alcohol community, would a riff on a daiquiri be an option? I had (please, please don't laugh) what was described as a rhubarb daiquiri the other night, and it was quite good (although my boyfriend and his friend exchanged amused looks). The syrup in it was vanilla, but I could definitely see doing something similar using a fruit syrup.

It's kinda hard to go seriously wrong by adding rum and lime to almost any fruit juice or puree, but that begs the question (as folks raised above with regard to sidecars) of whether the result is any more a "true" daiquiri than those abominable flavored vodka creations that are called "martinis."

. . . .

I had a hunch that the drink I had probably did not fall strictly within 'daiquiri' parameters, which I'm willing to respect, but admit to having no actual idea of.

I've never had a daiquiri [before?].

There's a link to the ingredients that the bar put together, though, and it was pretty tasty. If it was even a bastard version, I'd have to say that 'Rhubarb Bastard' sounds a pretty decent name for any for any drink that vaguely gestures toward some traditional cocktail, but very loosely. With rhubarb.

Panaderia Canadiense, did you give one of the fruit simples + cachaça pura a go yet?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I did, last night. I had a (cocktail purists excuse me please) Spiced Peach Caipirinha which knocked my socks off. I would have tried the plum-vanilla next, but I realized that baking sourdough bread while more than half-snapped was a bad idea....

I prefer a slightly higher proportion of lime in this drink than Dan does, and I tend to leave the fruit quarters in the glass (a trick I learned in Manaus); it was mixed as follows, in an old-fashioned glass:

2 oz cachaça pura

.5 oz syrup

2 limes, quartered and well muddled with the syrup

cracked ice to about half-glass

[Hassouni]

I was running low on my 2:1 SS, so I made some more. I used Florida Crystals evaporated cane juice, which I'm pretty sure is what I normally use, only this time my syrup was not clear like before but rather golden - so I'm thinking perhaps my previous batch was made with plain white sugar (which I just don't see, I haven't bought that in ages, but whatever). Can this kind of lighter evaporate cane sugar be used as a near-perfect substitute for white sugar syrup? It doesn't have an overly complex taste when compared to the Demerara syrup I made last night

[Hassouni]

Stupid question, when you, the industry, and everyone says 1:1 or 2:1, does that mean by volume or weight? I've done by weight so far...

[FrogPrincesse]

I do mine by volume and I don't even measure the volume anymore; I just fill my container with the sugar and add an equal amount of water (visually) for simple syrup.

Edited April 30, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[Hassouni]

See, I find that yields a less than 1:1 sugar:water ratio, as the water fills in the gaps around the sugar grains before it's even dissolved