Simple syrup is a staple behind every bar and enhances cocktails without elaborate techniques. The standard formula is one part white sugar to one part water, simmered until dissolved and cooled. Many variations exist, with different sugars and flavor additions used to elevate the base syrup. Repeated preparation can lead to occasional mishaps, from over-spicing with chilies to broken jars and large cleanup jobs. Rich simple syrup increases the sugar-to-water ratio to create a sweeter, thicker, and more viscous syrup while remaining straightforward to prepare.
This I know from industry experience, two decades' worth to be exact, where I cut my teeth as a bartender in craft cocktail establishments from basement enotecas to après-ski taverns. While preparing the straightforward elixir may require a modicum of effort and some extra time behind the scenes, there's little else in the way of sweeteners that'll make for a quicker, easier, and more consistent route to crafting the perfect cocktail when the hour calls for it.
I've made it hundreds of times over the years, utilizing too many ingredients to list here, and sometimes to catastrophic results - like adding two too many habaneros, or vigorously shaking a quickie batch only to lose my grip and see the Mason jar soar over the bar floor before it shattered and let the syrup loose all over the floor, resigned to a fate of interminable mopping and sticky soles.
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