Demerara Syrup Recipe

By Steve Kilcullen Jump to Recipe

Add to your cocktail-making arsenal with this easy and delicious recipe for homemade Demerara Syrup.

For the most part, we talk about cocktails here, or things that usually bring themselves back around to the world of cocktails. And it’s a fairly large world to walk amongst and explore. Sometimes we don’t talk about alcoholic drinks. Maybe it’ll be a mocktail or booze-free concoction. And other times, we’ll talk about what you craft for yourself as a mixer, something to add to your next libation that helps give it flavor, balance, and identity.

Demerara syrup is the recipe we’ll be making for ourselves this evening, and it couldn’t be simpler. If you’ve made some simple syrup for yourself, then you’ll have a good idea what’s in store when making this one, too. You’ll need to take a trip to the store to buy yourself the special sugar this will need, but then you’ll have it anytime you need to make more syrup.

You also don’t need to make this just to exclusively use in alcoholic drinks. Demerara syrup works wonderfully in coffee, tea, and even as a dessert topping. Tasting not unlike caramel, the sweet and dark ingredient has a bit of range, ready to take your palate on a sweet and robust journey.

What are the best ingredients to use to make demerara syrup?

If you’re going into tonight’s recipe worried that there’s going to be some long and involved process, and that you’ll have to find a crazy amount of hard-to-find elements to use, fear not. All you’ll need to successfully make yourself a batch of demerara syrup for your home bar is water and demerara sugar.

What glassware is used?

You’ll need a resealable and airtight glass bottle or Mason jar to store your finished syrup in. Store in your fridge in between uses to keep it chilled and fresh.

What is demerara sugar?

This is a sugar that originally hails from the Demerara district in Guyana, and because it doesn’t go through the entire refining process that most sugars do, demerara sugar is coarser and darker in color as a result. While similar-looking to brown sugar, the demerara variety has a flavor that many describe as being like toffee.

Cocktails That Feature Demerara Syrup

You’ve made yourself a batch of demerara syrup and you can’t help but wonder what you should be making with it, cocktail-wise. Well, if you’re scratching your head and trying to figure out where to begin, allow Twist & Toast to show you a few delicious recipes you can try out this weekend.

• Queen’s Park Swizzle – A rich and historic swirl of tropical flavors adorn this mixed drink.
• Blue Blazer – A Scotch-based dram that’s hot, smooth, and robust.
• Jungle Bird – This bitter, spiced beverage is your ticket to an island paradise at home.
• Cognac Old Fashioned – An elegant and grape-tinged tipple.