Simple Syrup Monthly

A monthly newsletter for cocktail lovers and home bartenders! Simple Syrup Monthly delivers unique, seasonal syrup recipes straight to your inbox. Whether you’re building a better Old Fashioned or experimenting with new flavors, these homemade syrups will help you shake, stir, and serve like a pro.

Simple vs. Rich: It's Not Actually ALL About Sweetness

There's a question that comes up a lot when people start paying closer attention to their home bar: why do some recipes call for simple syrup and others call for "rich" or 2:1 ratio simple syrup? If you've ever wondered whether rich just means sweeter (and whether that matters) this special edit...

Feb 19, 2026

Agave–Ginger Syrup: Bright Heat Without the Juicer

Ginger is one of the most useful flavors in cocktails—and one of the most over-engineered. Too many recipes send you straight to a juicer or have you wrestling with cheesecloth like you're prepping for service at a cocktail bar. This syrup keeps things simple. Real ginger heat. Real freshness. N...

Feb 11, 2026

Beer Syrups: Turning Beer Into a Surprisingly Useful Cocktail Sweetener

Beer isn’t the first thing most people think of when they hear “cocktail syrup.” But once you reduce it down on the stove (slowly and gently), and add the right amount of sugar, it turns into something deeply useful: an incredibly layered and versatile sweetener. I recently made a Beer Syrup usi...

Feb 02, 2026

Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum: Bright Citrus Oil, Zero Heat, Maximum Payoff

*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1"> Oleo saccharum sounds fancy, but at its core it’s one of the oldest (and smartest) sweeteners in cocktails. Instead of using juice or heat, you’re using sugar to pull fragra...

Jan 11, 2026

A Simple Syrup Monthly Starter Kit: Setting Up Your Syrup Game for 2026

The start of a new year usually comes with a lot of noise. New habits. New goals. New versions of ourselves we’re apparently supposed to unveil on January 1st. That’s not really the energy here. For Simple Syrup Monthly, 2026 is about something quieter and more satisfying: Learning a few new thi...

Jan 06, 2026

Freezer Door Cocktails: A Simple Syrup Monthly Guide to Batched Drinks

*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1"> If you’re hosting during the holidays, here’s the uncomfortable truth:making individual cocktails all night is a terrible use of your time. Freezer door cocktails solve that...

Dec 23, 2025

Gingerbread Cookie Syrup: Holiday Dessert Energy in Liquid Form

There are two kinds of holiday drinks: the ones that lightly nod to the season, and the ones that fully commit. This Gingerbread Cookie Syrup is very much the latter. Built on molasses, warm baking spices, and a touch of vanilla, it delivers that unmistakable gingerbread-cookie flavor: rich, coz...

Dec 20, 2025

Roasted Cacao-Nib Demerara Syrup: Dark Chocolate Depth for Cold-Weather Cocktails

I know this is Simple Syrup Monthly, but I just have SO many ideas for cocktail syrups. So the syrup recipes are coming fast... hope you don't mind? Chocolate in cocktails is tricky. Too often it turns syrupy-sweet or dessert-heavy, drowning out the spirit instead of supporting it. Basically, it...

Dec 15, 2025

Lucky Butter Old Fashioned: A Special Edition Cocktail Breakdown

Every once in a while, a cocktail hits that perfect intersection of fun technique, decadent flavor, and actually doable at home. The Lucky Butter Old Fashioned checks all three boxes: Irish whiskey fat-washed in brown butter, Guinness Demerara syrup, aromatic bitters, and an orange peel. It’s ri...

Dec 09, 2025

Spruce Simple Syrup: Forest Notes for Winter Cocktails

Spruce cocktails are having a moment... and for good reason. That bright, pine-forward, forest-floor aroma is basically the essence of winter in liquid form, albeith in a very different way from my seasonal Spiced Simple Syrup or Spiced Cranberry Syrup. But not everyone has access to fresh spruc...

Dec 01, 2025

Spiced Cranberry Syrup: Bright, Tart, and Built for Holiday Cocktails

Cranberry is one of those flavors that instantly flips your brain into holiday mode, but most cranberry syrups fall into one of two traps: too sweet and jammy, or too thin and sour. This version hits the middle ground on purpose. The combo of real cranberry juice plus warming whole spices make...

Nov 24, 2025

Seasonal Spiced Syrup: A Cozy Backbone for Cold-Weather Cocktails

*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1"> There’s something about fall and winter that makes every cocktail beg for a ...

Nov 03, 2025

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