Simple Syrup

Equal-parts sugar and water — the workhorse cocktail sweetener.

Syrups & Sweeteners
Flavor profile: sweet

Simple syrup is sugar dissolved into water, traditionally one-to-one by volume. A 'rich' simple syrup is two-to-one (two parts sugar to one part water), yielding a thicker, sweeter syrup that goes further. Make a large batch and refrigerate; it keeps for a month. Demerara simple (made with raw cane sugar) adds molasses depth that works beautifully in stirred whiskey drinks.

Common uses

Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour, Mojito, Daiquiri — universally.

Cocktails that use Simple Syrup

  • Old Fashioned — The original cocktail — bourbon, sugar, bitters, and an orange peel
  • Whiskey Sour — Bourbon meets lemon juice and simple syrup for a silky, frothy sour
  • Mint Julep — Crushed ice, fresh mint, and bourbon — the drink of the Kentucky Derby
  • Sazerac — New Orleans' claim to the first cocktail — rye, Peychaud's, and an absinthe rinse
  • Tom Collins — Gin, lemon, sugar, and soda — the original long, refreshing cocktail
  • Gimlet — Gin and fresh lime juice with simple syrup — clean and bracingly tart
  • French 75 — Gin, lemon, sugar, and Champagne — named after a WWI field artillery gun
  • Espresso Martini — Vodka, coffee liqueur, and fresh espresso — rich, frothy, and wired
  • Lemon Drop — Vodka, triple sec, and fresh lemon — tart and sparkling with a sugared rim
  • Daiquiri — White rum, fresh lime, and sugar — the purest rum cocktail
  • Mojito — White rum, mint, lime, sugar, and soda — Cuba's most beloved export
  • Mai Tai — Aged Jamaican rum, orgeat, orange curaçao, and lime — the tiki benchmark
  • Jungle Bird — Blackstrap rum, Campari, pineapple, and lime — the bittersweet tiki outlier
  • Rum Punch — One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak — the Caribbean formula
  • Pisco Sour — Pisco, lime, syrup, and egg white topped with Angostura bitters — Peru's national drink
  • Sangria — Spanish red wine with brandy, fresh fruit, and orange juice — summer in a pitcher
  • Virgin Mojito — All the fresh mint and lime of a mojito, zero proof — vibrant and refreshing

Substitutes