Want to step up your cocktails and coffee drinks? Try Demerara Syrup! This simple syrup made with demerara sugar transforms drinks with its nutty, caramel flavor. There’s an essence to the flavor that’s hard to describe in words. It makes for one killer cocktail: add it to your Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour or Manhattan for a boost. Or it’s ideal for amping up a latte or tea latte. Even better, it takes just 5 minutes to make!
What is demerara syrup?
Demerara syrup is simple syrup made with demerara sugar instead of granulated sugar. It has a unique caramel flavor, with notes of toffee, toasted sugar, and molasses. It’s popularly used in cocktails to add layers of flavor, and it works in coffee and tea drinks as well.
And what is demerara sugar?
Demerara sugar is a raw sugar with crunchy, coarse grains and a golden brown color. It’s the result of the first crystallization of processing cane sugar. Because it’s minimally processed, it still has some molasses: which adds the flavor notes and signature color. Further processing of demerara sugar makes granulated sugar, which has a clean, pure taste and smaller grains. Brown sugar is simply granulated sugar with molasses added back: so it has smaller grains and a darker, more molasses-forward flavor than demerara.
How to make demerara syrup
Now for the fun part. If you’ve got the sugar and 5 minutes, you can make demerara syrup! There’s really no skill involved here, so let’s get right to it. It’s a formula you can memorize and make again and again:
How long does it last?
Store demerara syrup in a covered container in the refrigerator for 1 month. It’s nice to start it in a jar with a nozzle top, so you can use it for drizzling into cocktails and coffee drinks.
Ways to use demerara syrup
How to use demerara syrup? This caramel-flavored syrup tastes incredible right off a spoon, but it’s at its best in cocktails, mocktails, coffee drinks, and tea drinks. It naturally pairs well with barrel-aged liquors like whiskey and rum, but it adds a lovely flavor layer to any cocktail. Use demerara syrup in:
Whiskey cocktails like the Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour and ManhattanRum cocktails like the Mojito and DaiquiriCoffee drinks like lattes, cold brew, iced espresso, and mochasTea drinks like tea lattes or iced teaPancakes and waffles: it even adds a unique flavor to pancakes and waffles!
More syrup recipes
Love making homemade syrups? Here are a few more recipes to try:
Learn How to Make Simple SyrupTry infused syrups like Mint Simple Syrup, Ginger Simple Syrup, Rosemary Simple Syrup or Lavender Simple SyrupMake Vanilla Syrup or Brown Sugar SyrupGo seasonal with Pumpkin Spice Syrup or Gingerbread Syrup
This demerara syrup recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
5 from 1 review
