How To Use Simple Syrup In Your Next Old Fashioned

When it comes to cocktails that highlight the liquor within, few drinks can compare to the old fashioned. Some drinks consist of a myriad of ingredients that create unique flavors all their own. Others are uncomplicated (like the suffering bastard,  a cocktail with a name that could probably use a rebrand). However, an old fashioned is a timeless classic with a befitting moniker that's straightforward. The angostura bitters will make or break your cocktail as they add personality, while simple syrup tempers the heat from the bourbon or rye whiskey.

It takes practice over time to understand how simple syrup, bitters, and bourbon (or rye whiskey) come together in harmony. With that in mind, we went to a professional to discover how to expertly use the sugary ingredient in this enduring beverage. The Poka Lola Social Club in Denver, Colorado, hosts a variety of intriguing drinks on its menu, and lead bartender Lexi Parker is the person to ask if you want to know how to make them like a pro.

When asked how much simple syrup should go into a cocktail, Parker indicates there is technically no right answer. It all comes down to taste. Various recipes call for differing amounts of simple syrup, so how much should be used relies on preference. Still, there is a specific way the simple syrup should be made before it goes into your old fashioned.

While some prefer to have a more bourbon or whiskey-forward experience, others like to tone it down. According to Lexi Parker, this should be accomplished by adjusting the amount of simple syrup in the cocktail. The recipe for the sugary liquid itself shouldn't change. "There's not really such a thing as a 'sweeter' simple syrup. Simple syrup is just a 1-to-1 ratio of sugar to water," Parker explains.

Making simple syrup at home is as easy as heating water on the stove. Once you have water at nearly a boil, you add an equal amount of sugar and give it a quick stir until it has all dissolved. After the mix has cooled, use a kitchen funnel to pour it into a glass container. The mix will last in the fridge for two to three weeks, but Parker says it is a good idea to check the container on every use to ensure that no mold has accumulated. Although the ratio of water to sugar doesn't change, the type of sweetener you use can have some wiggle room.

Simple syrup is most commonly made with the same table sugar you would use in a baking recipe. "Simple syrup is just that — simple. And because of that, I don't really stray away from the standard pure white sugar when making it," says Lexi Parker. However, she does state that occasionally, she levels up her syrup with something less traditional.

For some cocktails, Parker prefers to make the sugary component with Sugar in the Raw, a turbinado cane sugar. She says this imparts a richer flavor that adds the necessary sweetness and provides a fuller body to the cocktail. 

Other sweetener alternatives may be used as well. If sucrose is an ingredient you try to avoid, you could make simple syrup with something like Stevia. Whichever you prefer, mix the ingredients well if you're making one yourself, and avoid the mistake of asking your bartender long after it's been served if you want it made differently. Unlike how James Bond prefers his martinis, an old fashioned is always stirred — not shaken.