Simple Syrups

Simple syrups are arguably the most basic of things to make but have a surprisingly wide variety of uses. From soaking cakes, to making cocktails, sorbets and candied citrus peels, it’s a good recipe to have in your back pocket.

In its most basic form, simple syrup is just equal parts water and sugar by weight or volume. It’s simple simple. But you can then flavour it with almost anything to suit whatever you plan on using it for. Whether it’s using a different kind of sugar, infusing it with herbs or spices, adding extracts or juices/purées, the possibilities are endless!

So skip that storebought stuff and just make your own! Simple syrup will last at least a month in the fridge depending on what you put in it. And with a recipe as easy as that, you can scale it up or down to make however much you need.

How to flavour simple syrups

Different sweeteners

Changing the white sugar for another granulated sugar can be an easy way to switch up the flavour. You could even caramelize the white sugar then add the water to it (a bit more than equal quantity since some of it will evaporate) for a caramel simple syrup.

Some other ideas: Brown or dark brown sugar, coconut sugar or date sugar.

Another possibility is replacing the granulated sugar or just part of it with a liquid sweetener.

Some ideas: Maple syrup (since it’s about 30% water, simply reduce the amount of water you add by 30%), agave nectar, brown rice syrup or even replace a small part of granulated sugar with molasses.

Different liquids

Just like the type of sugar can be changed, so can the liquid. Instead of water you could use juice (unsweetened is best here) or other liquids, or replace up to half the water with fruit purées, depending on how thick they are. The thicker the purée, the less you’ll want to use. That way your syrup remains very fluid.

Some ideas: Orange, apple, lemon, lychee, cucumber, pomegranate, pineapple, cranberry, coconut water, grapefruit, mango, passion fruit, peach, coffee.

Herbs, spices & teas

And now to the add-ons. Any herb, spice or tea you can think of, you can probably infuse it into the syrup. For a deeper and more pronounced flavour, you can bring the water with the add-on to a boil, then cover and let infuse for 30 minutes. Once infused, strain it and measure to add whatever quantity of water was lost during the process. Then proceed with making the syrup.

Alternatively, for a milder infusion, you can simply combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and make the simply syrup as normal. That way the add-on infuses as the mixture comes to a boil.

Herb ideas: Rosemary, lavender, sage, thyme, lemongrass, lemon balm, mint, kaffir lime leaves, lemon verbena.

Spice ideas: Ginger, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, star anise, coriander, fennel seeds, vanilla bean, sumac.

*If using in their powdered form, you can strain the syrup through a coffee filter.

Tea ideas: Earl grey, lavender, hibiscus, green tea, chamomile, spiced tea/chai.

Extracts and other

Extracts and other essences/flavourings should be added once the syrup is done to prevent them from evaporating during the process. Make sure to use alcohol or water-based extracts as oil-based extracts will separate from the syrup.

Some ideas: vanilla extract or paste, rose water, orange blossom water, sweet clover extract, almond extract.

How to store simple syrups

Once your simple syrup is made, pour it into a jar or other container. If you added herbs, spices or other to it, strain it through a fine mesh sieve (with a coffee filter for very fine or powdered add-ons). Then let it cool to room temperature before closing and storing in the fridge.

Depending on what you put in it, simple syrup can last at least a few weeks.

For simple syrups made with juice or purée: 2-3 weeks.

For simple syrups made with spices, herbs or teas: strained out 2-3 weeks, not strained out 1-2 weeks.

Basic simple syrup or with extracts only: at least 1 month if not longer.

If you make this recipe please let me know in the comments! All feedback is very much appreciated and I would love to hear from you! You can also tag me on instagram @the.quaint.kitchen or use the hashtag #thequaintkitchen to share your creations!