Happy New Year!
Today I want to wrap up the month of
cocktail / mocktail recipes by speaking about the making of simple syrup. A simple syrup is the key to many cocktails
and with herbs as a base you can create an unlimited combination of flavors to
make an equally numerous series of drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
Once
you learn how easy it is, you'll discover just how essential it is to keep
simple syrup in stock in your bar and kitchen. It's found in many mixed drink
recipes, including the mojito, daiquiri, and hurricane. You can also
use it to sweeten your coffee, tea, and homemade lemonades and sodas.
Just
add a Tablespoon to 8 ounces of seltzer water or club soda and you have your
own flavored drinks. You can also add to
still water for a refreshing beverage.
Below I share how to make the syrup and a hurricane which is a fun
citrus drink to brighten the long winter days.
Traditional
Herbed Simple Syrup
1
cup water
1
cup sugar (white, turbinado, raw demerara sugar, your choice)
1 cup fresh (only half
if using dry) herbs
Directions:
1.
Bring the
water to a boil in a small saucepan.
2. Add sugar and stir until it has dissolved completely.
3. Reduce the heat, add the herbs and cover the pan.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Allow it to cool and steep for at least 1 hour
until room temperature.
5.
Strain out
the herbs, pour the syrup into a bottle, and refrigerate. The syrup will
be good for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
NOTES:
· Because
of the short shelf life, I place my syrup in plastic squirt bottles and freeze
it. When you want a cocktail it only
takes about 15 to 20 minutes for the frozen syrup to thaw.
· Don't expect the syrup at either
ratio to be as thick as maple syrup or honey. Instead, it will be thin and very
easy to pour—more of a consistency similar to a liqueur.
· Do not allow the syrup to boil for
too long or the syrup will be too thick once it cools.
· To prolong the shelf life, add a
little vodka. Usually between a tablespoon and an ounce is enough, depending on
how large the batch of syrup is.
Using your Simple Syrup to Make a
Cocktail
The hurricane
is an iconic tropical cocktail that you should know and will never
forget. It is a fun rum-filled drink that includes the captivating pairing
of passion fruit and orange juices. While it looks and tastes rather
complex, it is quite easy to make.
This cocktail
became popular at Pat O'Brien's bar in 1940s New Orleans. It's said that
O'Brien created
The story says
that it debuted during the 1939 World's Fair in New York City and was named
after the hurricane lamp-shaped glasses that the first drinks were served in.
This style continues to be known as a hurricane glass.
Tropical Hurricane
with Herbed Simple Syrup
2 ounces light rum
2 ounces dark rum
2 ounces passion fruit juice
1 ounce orange juice
1/2 lime
1 tablespoon simple syrup made with herbs – lavender, mint
or lemon balm are all good choices
1 tablespoon grenadine (see below to make your own!)
Garnish: maraschino cherry and orange slice
Directions:
1.
In a cocktail
shaker filled with ice, squeeze the juice from half a lime.
2.
Add the other
ingredients.
3.
Shake well,
until the outside of the shaker tin becomes frosty.
4.
Strain into a
hurricane glass and garnish with a lemon slice.
Other Simple syrup flavors you can
create
·
Sour mix (aka bar mix or sweet and
sour) is also used in the bar, often for tropical cocktails. You make a plain or
herb flavored simple syrup and add 1 cup of the syrup to 2 cups of citrus
juices and you have a homemade sour mix.
It is great with lemon and lime juice, but also with tangerine and orange.
·
Cinnamon simple syrup is an
excellent sweetener for coffee as well as classic and modern cocktails. Cinnamon
is warming and is perfect for use in winter. The cinnamon can be combined with
other flavors like apple, cherry, thyme, and vanilla. Make yours by combining 1
cup water, 1 cup sugar and 2 cinnamon sticks and follow the typical directions.
·
Ginger simple syrup made with 1 cup
of sugar added to ¾ cup water and 1 cup of sliced peeled ginger offers a subtle
spice that is very versatile. Because ginger is a root, you will need to bring
the syrup to a light boil then reduce the heat and allow to simmer over heat
for 15 minutes to truly gather the unique flavor of the ginger. It can be added to tea or mixed into
cocktails where you might use ginger ale or ginger beer and it's a good
substitute for a ginger liqueur. Ginger can be combined with other flavors;
vanilla or habanero are just two very fun possibilities.
·
Use 3 Tablespoons of dried lavender
flowers with 1 cup water and 2 cups sugar and use the above instructions to make
a lavender simple syrup which are a great an easy way to add flavor to
cocktails. These are used all the time in modern drink recipes and the basic
recipe works for nearly any herb, including basil, parsley, and rosemary.
·
Chile peppers in simple syrup give
the sweetener a nice heat that's an excellent way to spice up your cocktails.
Any pepper will work, so you can customize the spiciness to suit your needs. Use two peppers with 2 cups of raw sugar and 1
cup of water.
·
The most popular flavored syrup in
the bar is grenadine. That's right, the key ingredient to a Shirley Temple and tequila
sunrise is little more than a pomegranate-flavored simple syrup and it is easy
to make grenadine from scratch.
·
One uses pomegranate juice instead
of water adds the sugar and flavors it with lemon balm leaves to craft your own
grenadine. If you have some orange water,
you can splash a few dollops of that in to enhance the flavor.
·
Split a vanilla bean in half and
pour warmed sugar/water mixture and allow to steep 8 to 10 hours to create this
amazing simple syrup. It is a fantastic sweetener for almost any beverage. You
can build on the sweet flavor with a little ginger.
