Infused Simple Syrups

Simple Syrup = part water + part sugar simmered slowly on the stove until the sugar is melted and absorbed in the water.  Measure both water and sugar into pan... place pan on stove over med-low heat... do not stir... leave it to simmer for about 5 minutes... after you remove the pan from the stove, then you gently stir it.  Simple syrups are used mostly in liquid beverages, such as, sweet tea, lemonade, iced drinks, etc., but can be used for other purposes too.

Depending on how sweet you want your simple syrup depends on the water to sugar ratio.  Some use equal amounts of sugar and water, others use 2 measures of water to 1 measure of sugar... or for really sweet and/or thicker simple syrup you would use 1 measure water to 2 measures of sugar.  Basically simple syrup is made and used for when you need to add sweetness without having undissolved sugar crystals in your beverage.  My personal recipe is 1 cup of water to 1/2 cup of sugar.  To "infuse" any flavor to your simple syrup... you simple slice and place the flavoring ingredient and place it in the pan with the sugar and water as it heats and melts.  After the sugar as melted in the water, I turn off my stove and let the simple syrup just sit on the stove until I'm ready for it.  When I am infusing any other flavor in my simple syrup, I let the infused simple syrup sit on the stove for at least 30 minutes so that the flavoring ingredient also has time to seep it's flavor into the simple syrup.  If you are using cinnamon sticks or other fresh herbs to infuse into your syrup... I leave them whole and just place them with the sugar and water... and then of course the infused ingredient is removed and thrown away from the simple sugar when I go to actually use or store the simple syrup.

Recently I discovered the art of 'infusing' simple syrups with various other flavorings.  The one that stood out in my mind the most... and... is responsible for me blogging about it is.... a fruit salad (cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries) I had that had been lightly drizzled with jalapeno infused simple syrup.  OH MY GOSH AMAZING!!!!!  And I remember thinking to myself.... I would have NEVER thought about infusing a simple syrup with an ingredient soooo strong and hot!  But... the effect was this... I placed the first bite of cantaloupe in my mouth and was instantly hit with the light sweetness that coated the piece of melon, then I bit into the melon and the sweet juicy fresh taste of the melon mingled with the light sweet coating, and as I swallowed I got this strange back note of heat on the back of my palate and tongue... which made me instantly go.... WHAT WAS THAT???!!!!  So I quickly took another bite to figure it out... but it wasn't until the Chef came out and told us how he had prepared this fruit dish that it all made sense.  You couldn't taste the jalapeno flavor in this simple syrup, you just tasted a tiny bit of heat in with all the fresh sweetness of the fruit.  This was such an amazing palate experience, I just couldn't eat that fruit quick enough... and when I was finished with my small appetizer size bowl of that fruit... I wanted MORE!!!!

I came home and started experimenting with jalapeno simple sugar for myself.  I placed a cup of water and a 1/2 cup of sugar in a pan... set it on med/low heat... then I cut one pointer finger size jalapeno in half (keeping the seeds in the pepper pod) and threw it in with the water and sugar to simmer.  It was seriously that easy and the results were fantastic!  You can flavor any simple syrup with any flavor profile you wish by simply adding the flavor ingredient to the simple sugar as it heats and dissolves into each other.  I think sliced lemons, limes, oranges added to simple syrup would be a great way to add sweetness and an extra flavor profile to any beverage.  A cinnamon stick or other stronger spices could be added to simple syrup for hotter beverages, such as, hot teas, hot chocolates, ciders, etc.  And fresh herbs could be added to simple syrups to serve with various fruits.

After making simple syrup... I store mine in a plastic container with a screw on lid and keep it in the refrigerator.  It should stay good for a couple of weeks if it is kept stored in the refrigerator.  You can also pour the simple syrup into ice trays and freeze them til you need... which would be perfect for times when someone requests sweet tea, but you only have unsweetened tea... instead of making two separate batches of ice tea.... you could plop a simple syrup ice cube into the unsweetened tea glass and it will sweeten as it melts without having the undissolved sugar crystals end up in the bottom of the glass.

The flavor profiles you can make with simple syrup is endless.  Don't be afraid to experiment and discover your own personal favorite simple syrup... the ingredients to make simple syrups is inexpensive and if you don't like it... toss it and try a new flavor profile... all that would be wasted on a batch you didn't like is a cup of water and a 1/2 cup of sugar and whatever ingredient you placed in the pan with the water and sugar.

Simple syrups are an easy and unusual way to add sweetness and/or any flavor to any food or beverage you want to serve.  Try it.... you will be surprised at the small difference a flavoring in simple syrup can add to beverages, fruit and such.  YUMMMMMMMMM