Simple syrup
Sugar dissolved in water, one part to one by weight, warmed until clear. It keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks. The neutral sweetener: it adds nothing but sugar, and dissolves instantly in a cold drink where crystals will not.
It is common to make simple syrup in 1:1 ratio based on volume. But the more accurate and correct version is to do it by weight, which comes down to approximately 1.2 parts sugar to 1 part water by volume.
A rich version at two parts sugar to one of water keeps longer and dilutes the drink less; a recipe that wants it says so.
- Diet
- Vegan (from Syrup)
- Taste
Used in
Alabama FizzThe South Side lengthened with soda
Amaretto SourA bitter-almond sour, sweet and sour and soft
Campari SourCampari's bitterness rounded off with citrus and foam
DaiquiriRum, lime and sugar in their simplest possible balance
French 75A gin sour lengthened with champagne. Like a fancy Tom Collins.
Gimlet · via With fresh limeFresh lime and sugar in place of the cordial - sharper and less sweet
Gin Basil SmashGin smashed with basil until it turns grass green
Gin SourGin, lemon and sugar - the sour at its plainest
Greyhound · via OriginalGin and a little sugar, as the drink was first recorded
John CollinsThe Tom Collins made dry, with London gin instead of Old Tom
Long Island Iced TeaFive spirits and a splash of cola, tasting of neither
MojitoClassic with Cuban origins - Rum, lime and mint over crushed ice, long and cold
Pisco SourEarthy, tart and sweet Peruvian (or Chilean?) sours
Queen's Park SwizzleRum swizzled with mint under a dark layer of bitters
Ramos Gin FizzA well shaken cloud of gin and cream
South SideA gin sour with mint - the mojito's uptown cousin
Tom CollinsThe original hard lemonade, made sweet with Old Tom gin
Whiskey SourBourbon, lemon and sugar under a cap of foam