Honey Syrup

1:1 Ratio

Honey is very difficult to mix into chilled or shaken cocktails due to how viscous it is in its natural state. In fact, once it comes into contact with ice, it will tightly bind to itself and will not emulsify with other ingredients. In order to ensure it will mix properly, diluting it with water before adding it to a drink to shake with ice allows it to seamlessly incorporate with all other ingredients and keep its flavor present on the palate.

For the most accurate balance it is best to measure by weight. Affordable digital scales are common and it is a very beneficial tool to add to your bar for the preparation of many a future recipe. While less accurate, using volume measurements can work as well, such as 1 cup of water to 1 cup of honey but it is difficult to get that sticky honey out of the cup!

How to make your Honey Syrup

Start with a glass bowl large enough to contain your projected sugar and water together that will still leave a safe amount of space to vigorously stir within. Place the bowl on a digital scale and zero out the scale. Add the amount of sugar you intend to use, perhaps 150 grams. Leave the sugar in the bowl on the scale and zero it out once again. Next procure some very hot water such as you would use to brew hot tea. Carefully pour this hot water directly into the bowl until it reaches the measurement of honey previously (150 grams in this case). Immediately begin whisking the mixture thoroughly until its texture appears completely incorporated and the honey dissolved. Once it has cooled, transfer your Syrup to your container or bottle of choice. Refrigerate in between uses and it will keep for up to a week.

Another option is to use a small pan instead of a bowl on your scale and once measured, transfer to the stove. But since honey does require as much sustained heat to dissolve as sugars do, it is not as necessary. Unless of course the stove is how you choose to get the water hot!