Food - Drink
The Syrup Swap That Will Elevate Your Cocktails
By CHLOÉ ASTOR ST. CLAIR
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has kept us away from our favorite bars and restaurants, home bartenders are embracing well-crafted DIY cocktails like never before. Cocktail lovers also know that any drink can be re-invented, even in your own kitchen, and you don't have to recalibrate your whole recipe to try this simple swap.
Beverage expert Megan Coyle predicts that complex syrups and exotic fruit juices added to classic cocktails will soon become de rigueur for home bartenders. If you want to test her recommendation for yourself, simple syrup is the easiest ingredient to swap out for something more complex, even if it's just a variation on the original syrup.
Adding herbs or spices to your simple syrup can kick it up a notch, or try replacements like sorghum molasses, a robust syrup with a sweet, butternut flavor. Sorghum adds a luxurious, earthy, smoky taste to mezcals, old-fashioneds, and more; it is a bit sticky, so try lightly coating your glass with the syrup before pouring your drink.