Simple Sugar Syrup Recipe | The Bar Guys

This homemade cocktail syrup is one of the easiest and most useful ingredients you can make at home. At The Bar Guys, we use homemade syrup behind the bar…  to create balanced cocktails, smooth flavours, and perfectly mixed drinks for weddings, parties, and events.

So you’re looking down your Bar Guys shopping list and you see a word which fills you with utter incomprehension: Gomme. What the **** is that?! Or instead of Gomme it might say Simple Syrup; well it can’t be that simple because I haven’t got a clue what it is, you say to yourself!

So you get on the blower to Bar Guys HQ as you scurry panic-stricken around Tesco and two words from a Bar Guy fill you with absolute relief:

Sugar. Syrup.

“Right, I get it! I’ve seen that! I know where that is! Bakery aisle!”

Beeeeeeeeep. You hang up.

Bar Guys HQ phone rings once again.

“Er… there must be a mistake. I’m in aisle 4 and it seems to say £6.50 for a bottle of this sugar syrup/simple gomme thingymejig.”

If this is a familiar conversation and you’ve been Monin (pun absolutely intended!) about the price of sugar syrup, then look no further than our simple sugar syrup recipe for making your own at home for pennies.

Yes, literally cheaper than buying a fancy coffee.

Why Bartenders Use Syrup

Simple sugar syrup is exactly what it sounds like — dissolved sugar and water used to sweeten cocktails properly.

The reason bartenders use simple sugar syrup instead of ordinary sugar is because it mixes smoothly into cold drinks without leaving gritty sugar crystals sitting at the bottom of the glass.

Gomme is used in countless classic cocktails including:

• Porn Star Martinis
• Mojitos
• Espresso Martinis
• Whiskey Sours
• Daiquiris

At The Bar Guys we use homemade simple sugar syrup in loads of our bespoke cocktails because it creates a smoother, more balanced drink every single time.

Simple Sugar Syrup Recipe – for 50 pence

🍸 Take a 70cl glass bottle (ensure it is sterilised before use).

🍸 Put 500g of granulated sugar into the bottle.

🍸 Boil the kettle.

🍸 Wait for a minute or so, then carefully fill the bottle with hot water.

🍸 Put the lid on and shake the bottle until the sugar dissolves.

🍸 Top the bottle up with a little more water.

🍸 Shake again, leave to cool, and hey presto — one bottle of thick homemade gomme ready for cocktails!

Honestly, it couldn’t be more simple.

Homemade Cocktail Tips

Making your own simple sugar syrup is:

• cheaper
• fresher
• quicker
• and surprisingly satisfying

You also avoid spending silly money on shop-bought syrups when the homemade version works just as well.

If you’d like to learn more about cocktail techniques and classic drinks, take a look at Difford’s Guide for extra inspiration.

You’re welcome!

TBG’s x

P.S. If you’re looking for a cocktail recipe to use this glorious mixture in, then check out our perfect Porn Star Martini recipe over at The Bar Guys.