How to Prepare Cocktail Syrups

Name: How to Prepare Cocktail Syrups
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 370 min
Ingredients: 1 cup water; 1 cup white sugar; 2 sprigs fresh rosemary; 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (peeled and chopped); ½ lemon (sliced); 1 cup raspberries

Jump to Recipe

Elevate your home bar with flavored cocktail syrups! Infused with natural ingredients, these homemade simple syrups are easy to make and offer a fresher, more delicious alternative to store-bought options.

The pre-bottled versions just can’t match the fresh flavor! You can use the flavor combinations that I crafted (rosemary, lemon-ginger and raspberry) or make up your own creations.

Experiment with exotic flavor pairings like lavender-honey, ginger-cardamom, or chili-mango.

To make a cocktail with real infused syrups, all you need is carbonated water, a spirit like vodka or white rum and a cocktail syrup. You can also add them directly to cocktails like this white sangria, mango cocktail or raspberry cocktail for enhanced flavor.

Having them readily available is a game-changer, especially during the festive season. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve bringing an abundance of holiday gatherings, they’re an essential addition to your parties.

Jump to:

Why You Will Love Flavored Simple Syrups for Cocktails
Ingredients
Flavor Tweaks
How to Make Cocktail Syrups
Joss' Top Tip
How to Use Cocktail Syrups
Recipe FAQs
More Homemade Syrups To Try
📋Recipe

Why You Will Love Flavored Simple Syrups for Cocktails

Easy. They are incredibly easy to make.
Pick Any Flavor. Experiment with any flavor you want. Try exotic flavor pairings or go with a basic vanilla syrup.
Versatile. These syrups are not just for cocktails! They’re perfect for mocktails (like this mojito mocktail recipe), coffee, tea, or even desserts. For example, try passionfruit flavor with any of these passionfruit dessert and drink recipes.
Budget-Friendly. Homemade cocktail syrups are often cheaper than premium store-bought versions.
Control Over Ingredients. Avoid preservatives and artificial colors and flavors found in commercial syrups and instead use real ingredients.
Thoughtful Gifts. Package cocktail mixer syrups in decorative bottles for personalized, homemade food gifts.

Ingredients

white sugar - If you’re making your own flavor combo, such as one with warm spices or peaches, you can substitute with brown sugar.
water - Not pictured.
flavorings - Lemon and ginger, raspberries or fresh rosemary.

*Check recipe card for ingredient amounts.

Flavor Tweaks

Make up your own tasty flavor with one or a mixture of these ingredients.

Herbs: Mint, basil, sage, thyme, etc.
Spices: Chai spice mix, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, etc.
Fruits: Passion fruit, rhubarb, blueberry, pineapple, pomegranate, strawberry, blackberry, cranberry, cherry, guava, prickly pear, pear, grapefruit, orange, blood orange, tamarind, peach, lychee, dragon fruit, banana, lime, coconut, kiwi, apple, black currant, lingonberry, watermelon, date, etc.
Flowers and leaves: Earl grey, green tea (matcha), butterfly pea, hibiscus, rose, elderflower, etc.
Other: Apple cider vinegar, pistachio, cucumber, ube, etc.

How to Make Cocktail Syrups

Step 1. Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.

Jars with lemon-ginger, raspberry and rosemary.

Step 2. Add your flavoring of choice (either the rosemary, lemon-ginger or raspberry) to a glass jar or bottle.

Syrup pouring out of saucepan into jar of raspberries.

Step 3. Add the syrup to the jar.

Jars of infused cocktail syrups with foil on top.

Step 4. Let the syrup sit and infuse for 6 hours.

Raspberry cocktail syrup straining through fine mesh strainer.

Step 5. Remove the flavorings from the jar.

Step 6. Your cocktail syrup is ready to use!

Joss' Top Tip

The flavorings can be strained through a fine mesh strainer and then poured back into the jar. Alternatively, you can leave the syrup in the saucepan with the flavorings to infuse and transfer to jars later. This works great if you're only making one flavor.

How to Use Cocktail Syrups

Wine glass with sangria, ice and cocktail syrup.

The rosemary syrup is ideal for:
- Mojito
- Mint Julep
- Whiskey Smash
- Gin Tonic
The lemon-ginger syrup is ideal for:
- Moscow Mule - Try it in an alcoholic or virgin Moscow mule.
- Margarita - Try it in the classic or check out how to make a frozen margarita.
- Hard Iced Tea
- Hard Lemonade
The raspberry syrup is ideal for:
- Red Raspberry Bellini or other raspberry flavored cocktails
- Lemonade (regular or hard)
- Black Tea
- Black Fog Guinness Cocktail
- White Wine Sangria
Other cocktails:
- Add the cocktail syrups to your favorite cocktails to enhance the sweetness and flavor.
- Or, simply mix them into a glass of carbonated water with a spirit such as vodka or white rum (or even wine).
- Match the syrup to the drink. For example, try cranberry syrup for a cranberry flavored Moscow mule.

Recipe FAQs

Is cocktail syrup the same as simple syrup?

These cocktail syrups start with a simple syrup base that is infused with flavor to match and complement different cocktails.

How do you store them?

Store cocktail syrups in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Sangria made with cocktail syrup in glass.

More Homemade Syrups To Try

If you tried this Cocktail Syrups Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. And please share the recipe!

📋Recipe