Cocktail Syrups, Why So Many Options?

Cocktail Syrups why so many options? Because the same cocktail gets boring, it’s time to change it up with some sweet flavors. You can drink the same old margarita time and time again, or you can flip the script and add some grapefruit cordial instead of agave nectar and try something new for a change.

But why so many cocktail syrups?

Why not!? Truly, being able to extend your cocktail designs through sugar infusions gives you subtle nuances to flavors to balance against your sour. If you’ve watched our video on 2:1:1 cocktail balance you’ll know sugars balance the sour to allow the spirit to shine. But, the spirit alone may not be enough flavor to really push your cocktail to the limits.

You can design your own drinks from scratch with a spirit, lime (or lemon) and a sweetener from the great expansive library of sugar syrups.

For Tiki Drinks, Of Course!

Tiki Cocktails often call for crazy syrup creations, like Gardenia Mix in the Pearl Diver. Or the most often used Orgeat in many tiki drinks (most notably the Mai Tai). However, having the more complicated sugar syrups isn’t always a must–sometimes you can find yourself just wanting something new and different, like a Clover Club (which isn’t new at all, it’s older than you are).

However, making many of these syrups using DIY methods is possible…it’s just not always easy. You can create a raspberry syrup or even a pomegranate (grenadine) however, using fresh fruit at home may not always yield the most tasty sugar syrup. This is primarily because of ripeness and seasonality of much of this fruit, sometimes it’s better to just leave it to the professionals to produce and label for us!

In the end, a cocktail syrup is an essential piece of both the best cocktails and the historically most memorable drink designs. You’ll find a use for them creating your own ad-hoc cocktail recipes or by taking one out of the history books (especially if it’s a tiki history book like anything from Jeff Beach Bum Berry).

Summer time is always better with a few great cocktail syrups on hand! Enjoy!