Syrup

Syrup is essentially water with sugar, which is used to give cocktails more sweetness. Syrups can be flavored with just about anything (it's really the imagination that sets the limits). Common syrups are made with regular sugar, cane sugar or honey. If you are feeling a bit more adventurous you can experiment with e.g. ginger og chamomile.
Simple syrup poured into a bottle.

Simple syrup poured into a bottle.

Simple syrup

This is the bedrock of syrups and can be found in just about any cocktail bar.

Ingredients:
  • 200g sugar
  • 100ml water

Bring the water to boil and add the sugar while stirring. The sugar will dissolve in the water, and you are left with a thick syrup, which simply needs to be cooled and bottled. The syrup is thick and clear/transparent in colour.
The shelf life of this syrup is long. It is a bit difficult to say how long, but due to the high concentration of sugar it does not go bad immediately, even outside the fridge.

Cane sugar syrup

The content and procedure for making this syrup is exactly the same as the simple syrup — in this recipe, simply swap regular sugar with cane sugar. Due to the sugar, this syrup takes on a brownish tinge, and can be advantageously used for finer cocktails, where the ingredients have more to say, such as Old Fashioned.

Chamomile sugar syrup

This sugar syrup is flavored with chamomile tea.

Ingredients:
The method is just like in the simple syrup; boil the water and add the sugar. When you have sugar syrup, add the 2 tea leaves and leave for 30 minutes. The tea bags are then removed, the syrup is cooled and bottled.
The shelf life of this syrup is not very long, the sugar content is simply not high enough. In the refrigerator it lasts approximately 14 days.

Champagne syrup

In addition to the simple syrup, there are also the more exotic ones. This sugar syrup gets its flavor from champagne, which can help give your cocktails an extra kick in just the right direction.

Ingredients:
Add both the sugar and the champagne to a saucepan, then heat it over a low heat. When the sugar has dissolved in the liquid, it can be removed from the heat and cooled. Bottle it when cooled.

The shelf life should be about a few weeks.

Coconut cream

When making Piña Colada, you need coconut cream. Typically you buy the classic Coco Lopez coconut cream, but you can also easily make it yourself.

Mix the following ingredients in a pot and bring it to a boil:
Once it has all dissolved into a uniform liquid, cool it down and then ready for use.

Honey syrup poured into a bottle.

Honey syrup poured into a bottle.

Honey syrup

The sweetness of this syrup comes from the honey instead of refined sugar.

Ingredients:
  • 200g honey
  • 100ml water

The method is just like in the simple syrup; boil the water and add the honey while stirring. Then cool the syrup and bottle it.
Like the simple syrup, the shelf life of honey syrup is long due to the sugar content.

Raspberry syrup

This syrup is flavored with raspberry, which is mainly used in the cocktail Clover Club, where it contributes significantly to the taste.

Ingredients:
  • 1 part water
  • 1 part sugar
  • 1,5 parts raspberries

All the ingredients are added to a pot and brought to the boil. After the mixture has boiled and all the sugar has dissolved, it must be cooled, after which the residues from the carriers are sieved off and the liquid poured into a bottle.
Raspberries, sugar and water are mixed in a pot.

Raspberries, sugar and water are mixed in a pot.

Raspberries, sugar and water are mixed in a pot.

Raspberries, sugar and water are mixed in a pot.

The mixture is brought to a boil.

The mixture is brought to a boil.

When the mixture is cooked through, the lumps are sieved off and poured into a bottle.

When the mixture is cooked through, the lumps are sieved off and poured into a bottle.

Bottled raspberry syrup.

Bottled raspberry syrup.

Sweet and sour mix

This mixture differs slightly from the others as this “syrup” also contains a good amount of citrus juice. The sour and the sweet create a lovely harmony that makes it extremely delicious. A “sweet and sour” mix is made quickly and easily by simply mixing the ingredients together.

Ingredients:
Both limes and lemons can be used for the citrus juice, but we recommend lemons. Some even mix citrus juice from both fruits so that it is half and half between them.

“Sweet and sour” mix can also be used when making lemonade.

Homemade lemonade

A cold lemonade is perfect for a hot summer day, and it's even super simple to make when you've already made “sweet and sour” mix. Simply add water and cool the mixture down.

To make lemonade, just mix these three ingredients:
Mix all the ingredients together and put it in the refrigerator. The lemonade can be served when it is cold. Depending on how you want the taste to be, the conditions can be adjusted. More sugar makes it sweet, more citrus makes it sour, and more water makes it less strong in taste.

Garnish with a few lemon slices and mint leaves when serving.

Watermelon syrup

When making summer cocktails, you can make a syrup that tastes like watermelon. The syrup is easy to make as it only requires sugar and the juice from a watermelon. The mixing ratio is 1:1.

The pulp is cut free from the shell, after which it is either pressed or blended, and then sieved. Mix the juice from the watermelon and sugar together in a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. The syrup is then ready for use.

Watermelon syrup is brilliant for summer cocktails, where a little extra flavor is needed.