Best in: Brown Derby, Gold Rush, Penicillin, Bee’s Knees
Agave
Sometime in the late-1980s, Julio Bermejo—then bartending at his family’s San Francisco-based Mexican restaurant, Tommy’s—had the genius idea to use agave syrup as the sweetener in their house margarita. “[I]t was a no-brainer for me,” Bermejo told Robert Simonson in recalling the move. “It was a product from a similar plant as tequila.” Sweeter than sugar, with a honey-like texture and an earthy richness, it’s best to use in a reduced amount in co*cktails. Like honey, it is often too thick to use on its own, and definitely too sweet, meaning it should be cut—most bartenders advise 2:1 with hot water, but as low as 1:1 will work depending on the kind of agave and your desired sweetness levels.
To make agave syrup, combine 2 parts agave to 1 part warm filtered water in a co*cktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 15–30 seconds, or until the solution is viscous and hom*ogenous. Pour the agave syrup into a clean glass jar or airtight container.
Best in: Tommy’s Margarita, Oaxaca Old-Fashioned
Maple syrup
Though hardly as ubiquitous in drinks as honey or agave, a good maple syrup is a great way to make a winterized version of many standard co*cktails, adding warm, toffee-like “New England” notes as well as a richer mouthfeel.
To make maple simple syrup, combine 2 parts maple syrup to 1 part warm filtered water in a co*cktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 15–30 seconds, or until the solution is viscous and hom*ogenous. Pour the maple syrup into a glass jar or airtight container.
Best in: Benton’s Old-Fashioned, Hot Toddy
Other ways to change up simple syrup:
Swap out the water
Beyond swapping in different types of sugar, you can play around with your syrup’s water component. Increasingly, bartenders are using other liquids to create their syrups—cold brew, tea, coconut water, even fruit juice or flat soda can do wonders in adding more complexity to a seemingly “simple” syrup. The Lipstick Memory from Christian Suzuki-Orellana, a contestant on Netflix’s Drink Masters, pairs a rosemary-infused cranberry juice syrup with Campari for a pleasantly complex drink.
Make flavored simple syrup
One final way to really add layers of flavor to your homemade co*cktails is through syrup infusions. In fact, all of the above sweeteners can be made into an infused syrup. There are two routes you can take here: Hot or cold infusions.
Hot infusions are the best approach when you want to use a liquid other than water, like fruit juice or tea, as the base of your simple syrup. In this case, recipes will often provide specific instructions for creating the infused syrup (like the blueberry syrup in this Amethyst Sour recipe). In general, you still don’t want to heat the sugar; wait until after the liquid has cooled completely to add the sugar and blend. You’ll also want to measure the amount of liquid after heating to ensure it remains consistent.
