Sweeteners are a fundamental part of most cocktails.
And today we're going to talk about some of the most common sweeteners and how they are used.
Most sweeteners in cocktails come in a liquid form, such as a syrup.
This makes it easier to incorporate into the drink.
And if you're making your own syrup, which we're going to talk about today,
it's important to note that you should be using your measurements by weight,
typically in grams, because different sweeteners have different consistencies,
like a fine sugar versus a granulated sugar.
So here we're going to go through the most common sweeteners used in cocktails.
So starting off we're looking at a basic simple syrup.
This is the default sweetener for cocktails and, unless it calls for otherwise,
this is the recipe you should be using.
To make a simple syrup is super easy.
You should always try to make these at home instead of buying them in the store.
You simply combine one part sugar to one part water,
again by weight, so typically in grams,
and I like to heat this on the stovetop until clear and then let it cool.
Alternatively, you can make this using a super fine sugar and just shake it up.
The sweetness level on this basic simple syrup is 50%, being equal parts sugar and water.
Some cocktail recipes use what's called a rich simple syrup
This is slightly sweeter than the basic simple we just looked at,
at two parts sugar to one part water, the sweetness level is 66%.
To make this you are definitely going to want to use a stovetop,
heating the sugar and water until it's clear and then let it cool.
This is often used for spirit 4 drinks, where you want as little dilution as possible.
For example, you might find this in a old fashioned.
The darker color of this syrup is only due to the fact that I used a demerara sugar
as opposed to a white granulated sugar.
This gives it a bit more of a molasses flavor that I enjoy.
Maple syrup is about the same sweetness level of a rich simple syrup.
It is a deliciously rich flavor that I think makes for a great old fashioned,
and some cocktails call for this specifically.
If you're going to purchase some maple syrup, I recommend purchasing a Grade B syrup,
which is a bit more robust than Grade A.
Coming in at about 75% sweetness is your agave syrup.
Now many recipes will call for this straight, but alternatively you can make a simple syrup substitute
by adding 50 grams of water for each 100 grams of agave syrup.
You can substitute that directly for simple.
So agave syrup goes well with lemon based cocktails,
typically because it has a fast-acting sweetness that also goes away fast.
Now this is due to its high concentration of fructose; that's how that sweetness behaves.
And this tends to pair with the fast-acting lemon acidity, so that's why these two go well together.
Coming in at the highest sweetness level of 82% is your honey.
Now because it's such a high concentration of sweet, the viscosity is almost too much to use directly,
so most people make a simple syrup substitute, which you can do by adding 64 grams of water
for each 100 grams of honey.
Now honey will often take on the flavor of the flowers involved in the production process.
Most bartenders will tend to use a neutral honey, like clover,
but you can experiment with different varieties.
The floral notes of honey tend to pair really well with gin and rum.
When people make their own simple syrups at home, I am often asked how long it will keep.
Now you should only store your simple syrups in the fridge,
but a nice little trick is that by adding 1 tablespoon of vodka,
you can extend the shelf life significantly.
In fact, Camper English did an experiment around testing shelf life of different simple syrups.
He found that a 1:1 simple syrup on its own in the fridge will last about one month.
If you add a tablespoon of vodka to that, it extends it to about 3 months.
A 2:1 rich simple syrup will last about 6 months alone in the fridge,
because the higher the sugar content, the longer it will keep.
If you add a tablespoon of vodka to that 2:1 rich simple syrup, it'll last even more than 6 months.
So that's a basic overview of sweeteners in cocktails.
If you want to go a bit deeper, I recommend Dave Arnold's book Liquid Intelligence.
He explains things like how the colder your drink is, the less sweet it will taste,
which is why shaking cocktails that are colder typically have more sweetener than
warmer, stirred cocktails.
But what I talked about today are pretty much the basics.
There's a whole other world of sweeteners, including things like infusions.
So whether you're just getting started or more experienced at cocktails, I hope you learned something new today.
Cheers!
I've listed out all these sweeteners, their sweetness levels, and how they're typically used over at cocktailchemistrylab.com.