Demerara Syrup

Demerara syrup is a sweetener with a nutty, caramel flavor! Use it for cocktails, coffee drinks, and more.

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:

1. Place equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan. In this recipe, we used ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water, which yields ¾ cup syrup.
2. Heat over medium and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Resist the urge to simmer! All you want is to dissolve the sugar.
3. Cool to room temperature. That’s it: you’re done! Cool to room temperature before using.

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 Manhattan
• Rum cocktails like the Mojito and Daiquiri
• Coffee drinks like lattes, cold brew, iced espresso, and mochas
• Tea drinks like tea lattes or iced tea
• Pancakes 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 Syrup
• Try infused syrups like Mint Simple Syrup, Ginger Simple Syrup, Rosemary Simple Syrup or Lavender Simple Syrup
• Make Vanilla Syrup or Brown Sugar Syrup
• Go seasonal with Pumpkin Spice Syrup or Gingerbread Syrup

01

How to Make Simple Syrup

02

Vanilla Syrup

03

Brown Sugar Syrup

04

Ginger Simple Syrup

This demerara syrup recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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