It is easy to infuse simple syrup with a wide variety of flavors – Lemon Simple Syrup is made by simmering lemon zest and juice with sugar and water, allowing the bright, citrusy oils to flavor the syrup. Once strained, the result is a tangy, aromatic syrup that adds a fresh, zesty sweetness to cocktails, iced tea, lemonade, desserts, and fruit dishes. Its vibrant lemon flavor pairs beautifully with ingredients like mint, berries, ginger, and honey, making it a versatile and refreshing addition to both drinks and culinary creations.
Cocktails that can be elevated by Lemon Simple Syrup include:
- Whiskey Sour – brightens and balances the tart lemon and whiskey
- Tom Collins – adds extra citrusy sweetness to gin and soda
- Lemon Margarita – enhances tequila and lime with a smooth lemon note
- Lemon Vodka Collins – boosts the citrus flavor for a refreshing summer cocktail
- French 75 – complements gin, lemon juice, and champagne with balanced sweetness
- Limoncello Spritz – adds a natural lemon sweetness to sparkling wine cocktails
- Bee’s Knees – pairs lemon, gin, and honey syrup for a classic, bright cocktail
- Lemon Mojito – works with rum, mint, and lime for an extra citrusy twist
Ingredients: The most common formula is 1 part honey and 1 part warm water, but some bartenders prefer a richer version of 2 parts honey and 1 part water. The richer syrup has a deeper honey flavor and keeps slightly longer.
Preparation: Making honey syrup is easy. Warm the water (it should be hot but not boiling); add the honey to the water; stir or whisk until fully dissolved; then let it cool completely.
A trick that I use is to make the syrup in a glass measuring cup that is large enough for the entire batch. I microwave the water to heat it and then add the honey to the hot water. Honey can be a challenge to measure accurately because its stickiness makes it cling to the sides of a measuring cup or spoon, so you often don’t get the full amount into the recipe. By adding the honey into the measuring cup with the hot water you get the proper amount and don’t have to clean an additional cup.
Storage: Store honey simple syrup in a sealed glass container such as a mason jar in the refrigerator (and don’t forget to label). A 1:1 honey syrup can last about 2 to 3 weeks, and a 2:1 honey syrup can last 3 to 4 weeks or more. If the syrup becomes cloudy, foamy, or smells fermented, discard it.
In short, honey simple syrup is the easiest way to bring honey’s flavor into drinks and recipes without the hassle of dissolving thick honey each time.
Equipment that I Used
- Measuring Cups: A dry measuring cup to measure the sugar and a liquid measuring cup to measure the water (although this recipe doesn’t need to be all that precise, so I use the same measuring cup for the water after I’ve used it for the sugar).
- Saucepan: Large enough for 2 cups of syrup.
- Spoon or Silicone Spatula: For stirring, I like to use a Silicone Spatula because it’s a little easier on the pan and I can use it to scrape the pan clean after cooking.
- Fine Mesh Strainer: A fine mesh strainer is useful when making infused simple syrups. It removes herbs, spices, citrus peel, or other flavoring ingredients after steeping, leaving a smooth, clear syrup.
- Straight-Handled Swivel Vegetable Peeler
- 32 Ounce Wide-Mouth Mason Jar: Mason jars are designed for hot liquids, so freshly made syrup can be poured in without cracking the glass – and the wide mouth type makes them easier to fill. A 32-ounce jar is way too large for 2 cups of syrup, but I find that filling a 16-ounce jar completely with hot liquid doesn’t leave enough headspace to avoid spilling and leaves no room for expansion, stirring, or shaking.
- Canning Funnel: A canning funnel helps to pour the hot syrup from the saucepan into the mason jar without spilling or getting sticky syrup on the rim of the jar,
- Syrup Dispensers: While a mason jar is a good container for cooling and long-term storage, it’s a mess to try to spoon or pour out of. When I’m ready to use my syrup, I transfer it into either a Plastic Condiment Squeeze Bottle – which I find to be the most convenient – or a decorative Syrup Dispenser Bottle if it’s going to be on display on my bar.
Lemon Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 small lemon
Instructions
- Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a simmer, stirring the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove the syrup from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Stir in the zest and juice of 1 small lemon.
- Pour into a separate container and cool to room temperature.
- Pour the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a clean jar and seal with a tight-fitting lid.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Chill completely before mixing into cocktails.