How to make simple syrup for the best cocktails at home

Bars are closed again. Here’s the recipe you need to make any cocktail at home

A smiling chili pepper drops into a pot of simple syrup

June 26, 2020 4 PM PT

Making simple syrup is ridiculously easy — boil sugar and water — but most cocktail formulas call for only a spoonful. Do I really want to wash a pot just to have a splash of plain liquified sugar?

I do not. But I’ll gladly scrub away stickiness for a more complex sweetener that I’ll use every day. There are three things that can transform simple syrup with minimal added effort: swapping in other sugars; infusing the syrup with aromatic ingredients; and changing the liquid base. Do any or all of those things for a flavorful drink mix to stash in your fridge, one that goes great in iced coffee, tea, mocktails and cocktails.

Most simple syrup formulas call for a 1-to-1 ratio of granulated sugar to water. You can keep the same proportion for all other sweeteners, such as brown and raw sugar, piloncillo, panela, rapadura, jaggery, rock sugar, coconut palm sugar, honey and maple syrup. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the sweetener dissolves completely and the consistency is a little syrupy. For solid sugars, this will require boiling for 1 to 5 minutes. For honey and maple syrup, you can turn off the heat before the liquid bubbles for a thin syrup or simmer it for a few minutes for a thicker one.

Simple syrups work in any drink, but the deeper flavors of the brown and minimally processed sugars taste especially good with dark coffee and dark liquors, such as whisky, bourbon and rum. Honey syrup is nice with tea and anything floral or herbaceous, including gin, and maple pairs well with warm spices and whisky-based drinks.

To give simple syrup nuanced layers of flavors, steep it with aromatics. Dense ingredients, such as cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, peppercorns, dried chiles and fresh ginger slices, can be brought to a boil with the liquid and sweetener, then left in the mix even after it cools and gets jarred for the fridge. All other infusions, like fresh herbs, chiles and citrus zest, should be submerged in the syrup after it has boiled and right before it’s removed from the heat. Cool the syrup completely, then strain through a sieve if using delicate fresh herbs such as basil or mint, pressing on the leaves to extract as much flavor as possible. Chiles, zest and hearty herbs like rosemary and thyme can be stored with the syrup.

Swap out the water and you limit the syrup’s uses but intensify its taste. One of my favorites is stirring 1 part raw sugar into 2 parts freshly brewed hot coffee until it dissolves. I then chill it and use it to sweeten cold brew without diluting it. I do the same with tea — black, green or herbal — mixing 1 part honey, granulated or rock sugar into 1 ½ parts steaming tea.

Come summer, I rely on lemon syrup for lemonade, iced tea, mocktails and spritzes. Lemon juice takes the place of water and its zest adds another layer of citrus zing. I toss in a fresh chile to give the tangy syrup a kick.