Your Cocktails May Never Be The Same!

[This is a pro-tip for my friends who enjoy a well-made cocktail once in a while]

Many the classic and not-so-classic cocktail recipes call for ‘simple syrup’. 

But until last night I didn’t think about this basic ingredient as a blank flavor canvas on which one can splash a wide range of accents and flavors.

I had just whipped up a batch of simple syrup for Zahava since she was envisioning some mojitos* in her immediate future, and had gone online to check how long a bottle of SS can be safely stored in the fridge, when I stumbled on the following two paragraphs in an excellent article on an excellent website:

“You can also make your own flavored simple syrup... by adding herbs, spices, or even citrus rind to the hot simple syrup. If you add the additional ingredient(s) the moment the sugar dissolves and leave it there until it cools, the add-in ingredients will steep in the hot liquid, infusing flavor.We make all sorts of simple syrups throughout the year.

Try fresh herbaceous syrups with garden basil, mint, and thyme for fruity cocktails with a little wow-factor, spicy simple syrups with cinnamon sticks or cloves for fall and winter cocktails, or vanilla bean simple syrup for an extra punch of flavor any time of year!”

[Photo Credit: The Pioneer Woman ]

Up until now I’ve been relying solely on bitters and garnishes to add that little extra je ne sais quoi to my cocktails  This opens up a whole new world of possibilities!

And as if providence hadn't knocked loudly enough, This past summer, Gilad and I were rummaging around in a nicknack shop in Zichron Yaacov when I stumbled on a beautiful set of antique-ish jars that I had absolutely no use for... but which I couldn't leave in the store:

Anyone want to venture a guess what will be going in these?

 

* Yes, I am aware that most Mojito recipes call for granulated sugar to aid in muddling the mint leaves.  But Zahava seems to prefer using simple sugar to avoid the grittiness of undissolved sugar.