Have you ever wanted to sweeten lemonade or a cocktail recipe? Simple syrup is the best way to sweeten drinks and cocktails or mocktails! The basic recipe has just 2 ingredients and it’s SO easy to make at home – plus you can flavor it in so many ways.
What is simple syrup?
I always have a jar of simple syrup in my refrigerator. It’s perfect for flavoring lemonade or drinks and it lasts several weeks in the refrigerator, so I usually make a big batch of it to use over time.
Simple syrup is just a mixture of sugar and water that’s been heated until the sugar dissolves. The problem with adding sugar to lemonade or other drinks is that granulated sugar won’t dissolve in cold water very easily. By heating up sugar and water, the sugar dissolves, allowing you to sweeten your drinks using less sugar than you’d use if you were just adding teaspoons to your cocktail.
Homemade Simple Syrup Ratio
The traditional ratio is one part sugar to one part water but you can also dilute it by doing one cup sugar to two cups liquid.
Unless you’re making a lot of drinks, I’ll usually start with 1 cup water and 1 cup granulated sugar and that’s enough to get me through a few weeks of making mocktails.
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How do you make Simple Syrup?
This is a simple simple syrup recipe – so easy to make from scratch.
- I add the white sugar and liquid in equal parts to a small sauce pan and heat over low heat.
- Just stir a bit and cook it just until it’s not quite boiling (you’ll see the mixture go from cloudy to much clearer as the sugar dissolves. It’ll thicken a little as it cools.
- You can buy it at almost any store, but it’s much easier to make at home in just 10 minutes – then just let it cool to room temperature before adding to any recipes.
Variations
Take my basic simple syrup recipe and easily change the flavor by infusing it with anything:
- Herbs: Make rosemary infused syrup to use in a Cranberry Ginger Fizz or add really any fresh herbs (mint, thyme, even cilantro) to the saucepan with the sugar and water. Let the liquid infuse with the herbs while it cooks then strain before using.
- Lemon or lime: Instead of water, use lemon or lime juice (or a combination). If you use half and half lemon and lime you’re actually making sweet and sour mix.
- Orange: Add orange juice in place of the water and you’re making non-alcoholic Triple Sec!
- Alternately, you can use zest instead of citrus juice.
- Add spices or cinnamon sticks with the sugar and liquid.
- Once the syrup is done you can add any flavor extract.
- Use jalapeños to make a spicy syrup for spicy margaritas.
- Can you use sugar substitute to make simple syrup? Yes, but the ratio varies depending on the sweetener you use. It’s most often 1:1 but sometimes the fake sugar will get bitter after cooking, and it will also not get as thick. I recommend Monkfruit or Swerve, and do some testing to get it right to your liking.
Storing Instructions
Store simple syrup in the fridge in an airtight container or jar. Use within a week or two. You can also place it in ice cube trays and freeze – then simply grab and use as needed.
Simple Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water (see Variations)
Instructions
- Place sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. (If adding something to infuse, do so now.)
- Cook until sugar has dissolved, just a few minutes.
- Pour into jar and cool completely before using. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe Notes
- Use lemon juice, lime juice, or orange juice instead of water (or a combination of any of them).
- Add fresh herbs, vanilla beans, spices, or jalapeños while the mixture is cooking (discard and strain syrup after).
- Add any flavor extract after the syrup is done cooking.
Recipe Nutrition
It’s like you read my mind, fresh lemonade was the reason I looked for this recipe! Flavoring the simple syrup is brilliant, I used lavender. Perfect for my tea. Thank you!