Släckdrünk Basics — Syrup!

Emily:
You like sugar, huh?
Buddy:
Is there sugar in syrup?
Emily:
Yes.
Buddy:
Then YES!
(Elf, the movie)

One of the easiest and useful make-at-home ingredients for drink making is simple syrup and its colorful relatives. They are bartender staples to both sweeten and enhance mixed drinks and cocktails. You can buy simple syrup — all of the coffee flavor brands make a simple cane syrup. But in these trying times, save your money and make your own. Black market toilet paper is expensive. And I find these tend to be sweeter than my homemade 1:1 syrups. If you do use a store-bought syrup, use a little less and adjust to taste. It’s easier to add sweetness to a drink than taking it away.

Syrups

Simple syrup is just that. Mix one part sweetener with one part water. Either heat that in the microwave or on the stove with a periodic stir until the granules dissolve or create a mix and process it with an immersion blender until dissolved. The first option requires you to cool the syrup before using. The second one is good for last minute drink making. Transfer leftovers into a stoppered bottle or jar. Add a small dash of vodka or Everclear to keep it from getting funky and throw it in the fridge. If it gets fuzzy, make a new batch. You can play around with ratios for this and the others below, but keep in mind, it may affect the sweetness of your drink. Adjust as you see fit.

Variations

Blonde syrup — Use demerara sugar instead of white sugar. This is the slightly brown granulated ‘raw sugar’ that comes in the brown packets at your local Starbucks or coffee shop. Like tan and dark liquors, this syrup is just a little richer. In a pinch, you can use brown sugar. Unlike the white sugar simple syrup, this will make your drink or cocktail a bit more tan. But if you’re already using brown liquors, this won’t be an issue.

Honey syrup — Use honey instead of white sugar. Because honey is, well, honey, you need to make sure you heat the mix a bit to dissolve the thicker honey into the water.

Maple syrup syrup — Like honey, maple syrup needs to be thinned a bit to work in a cocktail. It’s a syrup, once removed. Use real maple syrup. You’re making a cocktail, not pancakes.

Agave syrup — first, separate the core of the agave plant from the thick outside skin. Then age the agave core in a cool place for several months. Use an industrial press to separate the sweet juice. Just kidding. Agave syrup can be found in just about any brick and mortar or online store. It’s a ready-to-use and rich syrup for cocktails. It dances very well with agave-based liquors like tequila and mezcal. If it appears too thick, just thin it out a bit with some warm water and you’ll be good to go.

Grenadine — no, not the awful stuff that you buy in the store. Real grenadine is a colorful and great syrup for drink making. Source a bottle of pure pomegranate juice and mix 1:1 with sugar. I’ve made this both on the stove and with an immersion blender. The former is a bit richer. The latter is fresher. Definitely add a splash of vodka or Everclear to keep this from going funky. You might want to store this in the freezer as you are unlikely to use it as frequently as the simple syrups.