My take on syrups – Why I make my own

I don’t make my own bread, and I don’t churn my own butter.  Until recently, I never cut my own hair – something that our recent pandemic has forced on me and proven quite clearly that do-it-yourself isn’t always better.  I do, however, make my own syrups.  I do this for both quality of the cocktails, as well as health reasons.

As I write this, I am closer to 50 years of age than I am to 45.  Consuming sugar, the essential ingredient to a syrup, is something I need to limit.  When I do decide to pour some liquid sweetness into my glass, I want it to count, and I want to be able to control how much sugar I consume.  Therein lies the inherent problem with premade syrups (sodas, flavored mixes, etc.).    If you don’t control the quality of the ingredients and the amount of sugar added you miss the opportunity to control those two important aspects of your cocktail:  quality of flavor and health impact.

I’m not suggesting that you make all your own mixers.  Certain classics like cola are what they are, and the only options are to add cola to your drink or don’t.  In other cases, like ginger soda/ginger beer a homemade syrup is a great and easy alternative.  You can control how much sugar you put into the syrup, and you can control how much syrup to put into your drink.  When made with fresh ginger, the homemade version tastes great, better than the store-bought options in my opinion, and you know exactly what you are drinking.  The extra added benefit is you will often save money by making your own syrups.

The classic syrup recipe starts with equal parts water and sugar.  I will often use that ratio in my recipes and will also make a suggested ratio if you are going to modify the amount of sugar.  Typically, I suggest you start with cutting the sugar in half, but this is really a matter of your personal tastes and needs.

I’ll start by sharing some of my favorite syrup recipes and will experiment with developing new favorites.  I look forward to hearing how these work for you in your cocktails and if you have any favorite syrups, I’d like to hear about them too!