Simple syrups are one of the easiest things that can significantly up your beverages.
I first started making them when I worked at a coffee shop. We used them in a variety of coffee drinks and teas. We even mixed them with club soda to make homemade sodas. Now that I have my own garden I love picking fresh herbs and making syrups to use in cocktails.
A simple syrup is just that - SIMPLE. It's just a 1 to 1 ratio of sugar to water melted on the stove. Add in a handful of herbs and let it simmer anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours and now it is packed with flavor.
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1cup sugar
1cup + sage leaves
Directions:
Add the sugar and water to a pot with a tight fitting lid. Warm it on the stove over medium high heat stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Set aside 5-6 larger sage leaves. Take all of the remaining sage leaves and stir them into the sugar water mixture. Turn the heat down to a low simmer. Take the sage leaves you set aside and align them into a bundle. Carefully take a liter and burn them until they are smoking quite a bit. Immediately dunk them into the syrup and cover the pot tightly with a lid. Allow to simmer for up to an hour, resist the temptation to lift the lid, you will want to try to keep the smoke from getting out so it can infuse into the syrup.
After an hour remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Strain out the leaves and store in a jar or bottle.
