The holidays are just around the corner, and that means precious gatherings with friends and family, time-honored food rituals, and gift-giving galore. And what goes best with all of these classic holiday traditions? Delicious, unique craft cocktails, of course! Impress your friends this holiday season with a carefully concocted drink by learning how to make simple syrup that is homemade, unique, and tasty!
There are a number of elements that can elevate a simple “gin and tonic” level drink to something elegant and sophisticated. One of the easiest ways to do this is to learn how to make simple syrup at home. I have seen the “simple syrups” sold at the grocery store in the liquor aisle: don’t buy into this! It is so incredibly easy to make simple syrup at home and to make it super-fancy by adding herbs or fruit. Read on to learn how to make a variety of simple syrups and for accompanying cocktail recipes!
Simple Syrup
Use regular simple syrup to make all sorts of classic cocktails, like the Tom Collins, French 75, or Mint Julep.
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a container for storage. Store syrup in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.
- Yields 2 cups.
Herb-Infused Simple Syrups
Use these slightly fancier simple syrups as an accent to all sorts of craft cocktails, such as the mint simple syrup in my Watermelon Mint Vodka Coolers or my Blackberry Mint Collins with Elderflower Vodka. Some other favorites for herb-infused simple syrups are thyme simple syrup, sage simple syrup, and lavender simple syrup.
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 bunch herbs (such as mint, thyme, sage, lavender, etc.)
- Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until dissolved completely. Turn off heat, stir in the herbs until submerged, and cover with lid. Let steep for 10-15 minutes. Remove herbs (strain if necessary). When syrup has cooled to room temperature, strain into an air-tight jar. Cover jar and store in the refrigerator. Can be used for up 1 month.
- Yields 2 cups.
Fruit-Infused Simple Syrup
Now you are ready to take it one step further by making fruit-infused simple syrups. These add not only a beautifully unique taste to your cocktails but an incredibly vibrant color. Try a blueberry simple syrup with The Blues Cocktail, or rhubarb simple syrup in a Honey Rhubarb Pisco Sour. (Bonus tip: Use a modified version of this method to make your own grenadine syrup at home!)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 cups fruit (can be frozen or fresh and diced into 1" chunks. Examples: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb, pears, etc.)
- Heat water and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir often until sugar is completely dissolved. Turn heat down to low. Add fruit and stir to combine. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes until the fruit is softened, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into an airtight container. Store sealed in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- Yields 2 cups.
Sweet and Sour Mix
Now that you are a simple syrup expert, try making your own homemade sweet and sour mix with this recipe. Then, use it to make these delicious Grey Goose Slushies!
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cups lemon juice, fresh-squeezed with pulp and seeds strained out
- 3/4 cups lime juice, fresh-squeezed with pulp and seeds strained out
- Add sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved completely. Pour into an airtight jar and allow to cool completely.
- To simple syurp, add lemon and lime juice and stir to combine. Chill in the fridge before using. This sour mix will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Now What?
Check out some of these vessels for storage of your simple syrups! Remember, they should last about 1 month in the refrigerator if they are kept in an airtight container.
- SINNERLIG clear glass bottle. $11.99, Ikea.
- Giara water bottle (in lots of color choices!). $8.99, The Container Store.
- Bormioli Rocco swing top bottles (set of 4, 8.5 oz.). $21.50, Amazon.
Now it’s your turn: comment below or tag @thecharmingdetroiter in your Instagram post to let me know what your favorite recipe is for using your homemade simple syrups!
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Looking for more cocktail recipes? There are plenty on this blog! Be sure to sign up for the email list so you don’t miss any:
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And here are some tasty cocktails right now:
