The 7 Best Bartender Approved Simple Syrups
Simple syrup photo credit Depositphotos
There’s a reason it’s called simple syrup. A one-to-one ratio of sugar and water, simmered until the sugar dissolves, and, boom, you’ve got yourself a nice dose of the most commonly used cocktail modifier for pennies on the dollar. Why would you go out and spend money on such an easy-peasy, DIY concoction? Because today, there are some pretty darned delicious, super dialed-in syrups on the market that can take your home bar (or even pro bar) mixing from perfunctorily fine to nuanced and notable, many of them made by industry pros who wanted better versions widely available.
Cocktail & Sons syrups
New Orleans-based and award-winning bartenders Max Messier and Lauren Myerscough crafted their gorgeous syrups and mixers to help consumers elevate their home drinks experience—and bartenders like them, too. “It isn't often that I buy things I can make myself, but I love a quality product that can save me time and live up to my expectations,” says chef and cocktail creator Chandler Tomayko of the Underground Cooking Club. “Cocktail & Sons has become a permanent resident in my home bar and kitchen. I love that as a company they really support their local community, elevate their local farmers, and mindfully source their ingredients.” This time of year, Tomayko likes using the Cocktail & Sons Ginger Honey syrup in toddies, wassail, and as the secret ringer ingredient in her homemade eggnog.
Perfectly Cordial Tropical Sour syrup
Rhonda Cammon launched her Perfectly Cordial line of nuanced, layered syrups with sours and tiki cocktails in mind, but also with an eye toward high-quality ingredients (Cammon is a nurse by trade) that can work to elevate both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. Today, she has a half-dozen excellent cordials in her line, with flavors like Cardamom-Pear; Mango, Mexican Chili, and Vanilla; and the popular Tropical Sour. “When I find something that works, I grab it. The seasonal products Rhonda creates are fresh, crafted, and local. She hits a lot of marks for our brand and she’s on trend,” says Malikha Mabry, Director of Operations for Moxy Vanderbilt in Nashville’s Hillsboro-Belmont neighborhood. “I like to make my own modifiers, but in food and beverage today, we don’t have the time or the team. We’re all stretching ourselves. I find myself in situations where I need to make cocktails that are consistently great without the labor and the legwork.” Perfectly Cordial is black and female owned, and currently donates a portion of the proceeds from all bottles sold to black women entrepreneurs. Dig it!
El Guapo Ginger Syrup and Moscow Mule
NOLA-based Christa Cotton’s elixirs are so lovely, who could blame you if you decided to drink them straight from the bottle, with flavors like Rose Cordial, Sweet Potato, and Creole Orgeat. Her think-outside-the-shaker flavors (the bitters, too, are eye-catching, with options like Chicory Pecan and Crawfish Boil), have caught the attention of creative bartenders at venerable Crescent City spots like the Chapel Club inside the Hotel St. Vincent, Compere Lapin, Cochon, and Bar Marilou. But it’s not just because of her original options, it’s also because Cotton uses no extracts, oils, or artificial additions, and only whole ingredients in her potions. And, as of this month, her tiny start-up is moving into a much larger space to ramp up production and take the company full-on national.
B G Reynolds bar syrups
To pull off great tiki drinks requires intricate layering of flavors and a just-right balance between tart and sweet. Portland, Oregon bartender Blair Reynolds was looking for that perfect lime cordial to make the tiki classic, the Suffering Bastard, and was coming up empty. So he made it himself, sans the cloying high-fructose corn syrup, artificial coloring, and other easy-fixes. “For me, the three most important things I look for in pre-made cocktail ingredients are approachability, consistency, and flavor. BG Reynolds hits all three for me. In addition to that as a brand, they've created a positive social media drinks community, and teaming up with GeekiTikis shows a step towards newer and more inclusive approaches to the tiki phenomenon, even if all the labels aren't quite there yet,” says Chockie Tom, bartender and co-founder of Doommersive (formerly Doom Tiki). “When I'm in the U.S. doing our pop-ups I like to make sure we have the easiest way to guarantee consistent cocktails, especially since we team up with so many rotating guest bartenders. We have three signature ingredients we create for each event, so being able to not have to create our own orgeat or Fassionola buys us that much more time for set up.”
One of her favorites: The classic Lime Cordial (“…especially when introducing Americans to proper gimlets”) and the Circus Peanut. “It's been a fun ingredient to play with. My favorite uses so far have been a fino sherry and Ming River [baijiu] frozen, and a split base Mai Tai riff with mezcal. It works well for zero abv frozen [drinks] as well.”
Small Hand Foods orgeat syrup
When asked what should be stricken from cocktail menus in an interview, Jennifer Colliau neatly summed up why she does what she does at her East Bay company, Small Hand Foods: “House-made for the sake of being house-made, not because what [bartenders] make is better than what is commercially available. It’s ego over quality.” Beverage Consultant and co-owner of his own high-quality modifier company, CAnE Collective (see below), Aaron Joseph, agrees. “I love Small Hand’s products! They are superior in quality and the price point is just right for most of the bar applications,” he says. “I use them in cocktails for bar programs and also virtual mixology experiences. I particularly am fond of the orgeat and gum syrups. I use them mostly in tiki or non-alcoholic beverages.”
CAnE Collective Spiced Pineapple Syrup
It began as a love of rum, and frustration with the general lack of understanding about the spirit’s differences, nuances, and myriad origin stories. So CJ Alexander, Aaron Joseph, and Ezra Allen set about to create a line of mixers that not only let the spirit shine, but removed the hurdles in the way of enjoying it (and other spirits) for consumers, although bartenders appreciate the product, too, because of the collective knowledge behind it. These three Baltimore bar pros make about 8 different versions of their CAnE Mixers, in flavors like Guava Tiki Punch, Blood Orange Southside, and Passionfruit Margarita. CAnE (a mash-up of the first letters of the founders’ first names) is also black-owned, and part of strong growing collective of Baltimore small businesses.
Liber & Co syrups
Chris Harrison and his co-founder brothers, Adam and Robert Higginbotham, launched their Austin, TX-based syrup and cocktail accoutrement company back in 2011, via a collective love of entertaining friends and family and frustration with low-quality tonics and syrups on shelves. After perfecting that first tonic syrup, the company has grown its product line to 21 snappy syrups and cordials, including staples like grenadine, orgeat, and gum syrup alongside offerings like Texas Grapefruit Shrub, Caramelized Fig Syrup, and Sugarcane Kola Syrup.