Simple syrup
Also called sugar syrup, 1:1 syrup, sirop de sucre
Equal parts sugar and water (1:1) dissolved into a clear, neutral syrup, the sweetener in a Daiquiri, a Mojito, a Whiskey Sour and most shaken drinks. It measures precisely, mixes cold and adds no flavor of its own. Make it fresh every two weeks and keep it refrigerated.
- clean sweetness
- neutral
- no aroma
- light body
Origin
Sugar's long road from New Guinea cane to India's first crystals around 350 AD, the Mediterranean about 600 AD and the Caribbean plantations after 1501 ended with 19th century refining that made white sugar cheap, and the bar moved from muddled sugar cubes and gum syrup to the plain 1:1 syrup of the 20th century. Rich syrup (2:1) is the denser cousin; gomme adds gum arabic for texture.
Production and safety
House recipe: combine 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar and 1 cup (240 ml) water; warm, stirring, until dissolved and clear, or shake cold in a sealed bottle until clear (takes a few minutes). Do not boil, which evaporates water and changes the ratio. Bottle while warm into a clean, labeled container, cool, and refrigerate. Keeps 2 to 3 weeks refrigerated; 0.5 oz / 15 ml vodka per cup extends it to a month. Discard if cloudy, fizzy or moldy. Yield about 1.5 cups (360 ml).
Allergens: None
Common uses
- daiquiri
- mojito
- whiskey-sour
- pisco-sour
- french-75
- Tom Collins
Pours that use it
- Classic
Daiquiri
Rum, lime and sugar, shaken until the tin frosts
The Cuban rum sour: white rum, fresh lime juice and simple syrup, shaken hard and served straight up in a chilled coupe.
RumShakenEasy - Classic
French 75
Gin, lemon and champagne, named for a field gun
A sparkling gin sour from the 1920s: gin, fresh lemon juice and sugar shaken, then topped with chilled champagne. A cognac version is also traditional.
GinShakenEasy - International
Mojito
Havana's mint and lime highball, pressed not pulverized
Cuba's mint and lime highball: white rum, fresh lime, sugar or syrup and gently pressed mint, built over ice and topped with soda water.
RumMuddledIntermediate - International
Pisco Sour
Lima's grape-brandy sour under a cap of foam and bitters
Peru's national cocktail: pisco, fresh lime, simple syrup and egg white, shaken without ice and then with it, strained up and finished with drops of aromatic bitters on the foam.
PiscoShakenIntermediate - Classic
Whiskey Sour
Bourbon, lemon and sugar: the American sour at its plainest and best
A shaken bourbon sour: bourbon, fresh lemon juice and simple syrup, with optional egg white dry-shaken for a silky foam. Served over ice or up.
WhiskeyShakenIntermediate
Sources
- The history of sugar (Sugar Association), The Sugar Association · secondary source, retrieved 2026-10-11