Prepare Cocktail Syrups, Even If You Are Not Drinking Cocktails
My fridge is full of syrups. In addition to the obligatory maple, there is a cheap “pancake syrup”, some berry honey , a bottle of plain syrup, and a bottle of honey syrup. Historically, the latter two have been used primarily for cocktails, but literally everyone should have them in their fridge, whether they drink or not.
You see, the beauty of cocktail syrups lies in how easily they go into solution. Unlike crystalline sugar or pure honey, these diluted sweeteners do not require toning or heat to disperse. It helps a lot in the kitchen.
They are also very easy to make. Simply heat an equal amount of sugar and water (cup by cup) in a saucepan over medium to high heat until the sugar dissolves. For honey, use a mixture of three parts honey and one part hot water. Both will keep in the refrigerator for quite some time.
I don’t drink water, but these syrups help me stay hydrated. Lately, I’ve been making one-off drinks in the style of lemonade and lime, sweetening them on the fly with a few splashes of honey or simple syrup, depending on my mood. I could add ginger syrup to the mixture because ginger lemonade will sound good when the weather gets warm.
In terms of food, I use honey syrup in vinaigrette, and I add simple syrup to sauces, both peanut and marinara (don’t tell my Italian boyfriend). Sugar makes everything, even savory foods, taste good, and a teaspoon or so of syrup can help give a meal a delicious finish.
Do you like iced coffee or tea? You just need to have the simple at hand. There is no way around this. While it’s easy to make a little of this product in the microwave, it’s much easier to bottle it up and lazily add it to your morning cold beer. Life is already hard enough; Make yours easier with syrups.