Recipe: Simple Syrup

the appetizer:

Learn how to make your own liqueur from scratch with Luscious Liqueurs by A. J. Rathbun, including recipes like Persephonia; Limoncello; Basil Grappa; and Simple Syrup.

Cookbook

Simple Syrup

Makes about 4-1/2 pints

Though it's not liquor, simple syrup is perhaps even more important in these recipes, as it's an ingredient found in nearly all of them. Some liqueurs have special syrups (using brown sugar, for example), and instructions to make these not-quite-assimple-syrups are detailed in the specific recipes that use them. But when a liqueur just calls for an amount of basic simple syrup, use this recipe. I like to have simple syrup around at all times, for liqueurs, for cocktails, and for lemonade and other drinks. It's easy to make and stores well in the refrigerator. Having simple syrup around also means that you don't have to rush a batch when you realize you're at the simple syrup step in one of the liqueur recipes.

2-1/2 cups water
3 cups sugar

1. Combine the sugar and water in a medium-size saucepan. Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat a bit, and keep the mixture at a low boil for 5 minutes.

2. Turn off the heat, and let the syrup completely cool in the pan. Store in a clean glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Buy the Book

from:
Luscious Liqueurs
50 Recipes for Sublime and Spirited Infusions to Sip and Savor
by A. J. Rathbun
Harvard Common Press, 2008
Hardcover, $12.95
ISBN: 1558323805
ISBN-13: 978-1-55832-380-3
Information provided by the publisher.