Give your coffee, tea and cocktails a little sweetness and complexity with a splash of Demerara Syrup! It adds hints of brown sugar, toffee and caramel flavors to every sip.
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Let’s talk Demerara Syrup
Simple syrups are one of the easiest ways to level up your home bar game. I’ve made them thousands of times. Making homemade ingredients like simple syrup is the kind of foundational skill every home bartender should have. Once you’ve mastered the classic with granulated sugar, the next step is experimenting with other types of sugar to bring more flavor to your drinks.
Demerara syrup is a perfect example. You’ll spot it in rum cocktails on craft cocktail menus or bottled on the shelves at specialty grocery stores. It’s tempting to buy it, but save your money! Quick, easy and inexpensive to make at home, I like to keep a jar in my fridge — it’s my go-to for adding depth to all kinds of cocktails, and even my morning coffee.
Unlike regular simple syrup made with white sugar, this version uses Demerara, a raw cane sugar with a richer, more complex flavor. Think toffee, caramel and brown sugar. This dark syrup adds roundness to spirit-forward drinks and is just as good drizzled over pancakes or ice cream.
You’ll love how easy it is to make homemade Demerara simple syrup. It’s a home bar essential for tiki drinks, but adds bold, nuanced sweetness to just about anything. Try it in an aged rum old-fashioned, a simple whiskey sour or something light like a gin basil smash.
Quick start
Want to make it right now? Here’s the gist: Combine 1 cup Demerara sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Let cool, then store in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 1 month. Makes ~1¼ cups syrup.
🔽 Head to the recipe for full measurements, or keep reading for step-by-step photos, variations and pro tips!
All about Demerara sugar
Demerara sugar is a minimally refined raw cane sugar with large, golden crystals and a subtle molasses-caramel flavor. It adds a light crunch to baked goods (like my bourbon chocolate chip cookies) and a rich sweetness to tea, coffee and cocktails like the Queens Park Swizzle.
It’s often confused with other unrefined sugars like Turbinado and Muscovado. While they share similar textures and flavors, each has a different refinement process and origin. According to Spiceology, Demerara was originally named for a region in Guyana, but most Demerara-style sugar today is produced in Mauritius.
You can purchase Demerara sugar from most specialty grocery stores. It is typically in the baking aisle, but may be in the international section instead. As a last resort, grab store-bought Demerara syrup. But try to find the sugar if you can — it’s much less expensive and lasts longer!
Need a Demerara sugar substitute? If you can’t find Demerara sugar, you can order it online or substitute Turbinado, Muscovado or cane sugar. (Turbinado sugar is also sold under the brand name Sugar in the Raw, and sometimes is called raw sugar.) Brown sugar will also work. Each of these sugars undergoes a different refinement process and contains different amounts of molasses, so the flavor will vary somewhat.
Make it your own
As a cocktail blogger and recipe developer, I test dozens of syrups a year to find the best combinations for home bartenders, and switching out the sugar is a great way to add layers of flavor with very little effort. Demerara sugar is delicious as a base for a flavored or spiced syrup. A few of my favorites:
- Cinnamon vanilla syrup: Try adding some cinnamon sticks and vanilla beans * to add a warm, spiced flavor. Add this to lattes, cocktails and more.
- Old-fashioned simple syrup: Cooked with orange zest and flavored with bitters, this syrup makes super simple old-fashioned cocktails, and Demerara adds even more depth.
- Mint syrup: Cool mint and complex Demerara sugar create a syrup that’s refreshing yet lush, just like the tropical landscapes they both thrive in.
Step-by-step: How to Make Demerara Syrup
Making Demerara simple syrup is similar to the process for making brown sugar simple syrup.
👇 For full measurements and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card. It’s all there waiting for you!
- Pour Demerara sugar and water into a small saucepan.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high and stir until the sugar dissolves. Don’t let it boil.
- Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- You can use it immediately if desired. Let the remaining syrup cool completely before storing in a food-safe, airtight container like a mason jar. Use it up within a month.
- You can also freeze syrup in ice cube trays for longer storage or add a splash of vodka to extend its shelf life past a month.
Tips & tricks
- Try a 2:1 ratio for rich syrup. While equal parts sugar and water (1:1) works great, a 2:1 ratio (meaning twice as much sugar than water) makes a thicker, richer syrup with deeper flavor and longer shelf life. It’s ideal for spirit-forward cocktails like Old-Fashioneds.
- Use heat for speed, or cold for clarity. I usually make my syrups using heat to dissolve the sugar quickly, but you can also shake up sugar and cold water in a jar, or let it sit. Cold-process syrup can have a cleaner flavor but takes longer to dissolve.
- Weigh for precision, measure for ease. Bartenders often prefer weighing ingredients for consistent results, but if you’re new to syrups, I recommend measuring by cups — it’s fast, easy and works well for most home bartenders.
How to Use Demerara Syrup in Cocktails
Demerara syrup works especially well in rum drinks and as a syrup for aged spirits, but it can be used in other types of cocktails as well. It will work wonderfully in cocktails made with barrel-aged spirits, especially because of its dark amber color. Here are a few to try:
Tiki drinks: Like summer in a glass, this tiki cocktail syrup adds layers to recipes like the Jungle Bird, with pineapple, lime, rum and bitter Campari. The Demerara dry float is a tiki cocktail with Demerara, passionfruit and rum.
Whiskey cocktails: It also shines as a simple syrup for whiskey cocktails like an old-fashioned cocktail, bringing in flavors of toffee and butterscotch along with bourbon. Stir it into a warm bourbon hot toddy in the wintertime or sweeten a refreshing mint julep in the spring. Many bartenders use a 2:1 rich syrup in classics like the Old-Fashioned because it adds texture and balances strong spirits.
Tropical cocktails: This pineapple old-fashioned cocktail uses a pineapple-infused Demerara syrup and tiki bitters. Or try a bright and fresh-tasting cardamaro smash with lemon, mint and amaro. Or keep it simple with a margarita or mojito.
Liqueurs: You can even add it to homemade liqueurs like this homemade allspice dram or spiced rum.
Other Uses for Demerara Syrup
Other than stirring it into a cocktail recipe, there are some other ways you can use this Demerara syrup. Use it to bring caramel notes and molasses flavor to all kinds of drinks and desserts.
Coffee: Stir it into hot or cold coffee drinks, such as lattes and cappuccinos. Add it to an Irish coffee (hot or iced coffee) to give sweetness to the strong coffee flavor.
Tea: Try it in black tea such as Earl Grey, or mix it into chai, green tea or rooibos tea. Use it to sweeten a big pitcher of iced tea or lemonade.
Sweets: Pour it over French toast, pancakes or even ice cream.
Demerara Syrup FAQs
Use any cane sugar like Turbinado or Muscovado sugar. Brown sugar will work too.
You can store homemade Demerara syrup in an airtight container, like a mason jar, in the fridge for up to 1 month. If it looks cloudy, it’s time to toss it. If it forms crystals, it’s okay — it just means you have more sugar to water, and the crystals will melt down if you warm it up again.
If you want it to last even longer, you can add a splash of high-proof alcohol like vodka or overproof rum. It won’t affect the flavor much, but it can help extend shelf life.
You can use Demerara syrup in cocktails that call for plain simple syrup to add depth and flavor. It’s excellent in spirit-forward drinks like a Sazerac, Old-Fashioned or Whiskey Smash. The mojito-like Queens Park Swizzle specifically calls for Demerara syrup. You’ll also sometimes see it in tiki drinks like a Jungle Bird or
More simple syrup recipes to try
You can use this Demerara syrup recipe as a base for these simple syrup recipes to lock in even more flavor:
- Cinnamon Syrup: Use it in a cozy cinnamon dolce latte or cinnamon white Russian.
- Banana Syrup: Try it in a tropical banana old-fashioned with aged rum.
- Rosemary Syrup: Deepen the flavor of a bubbly rosemary champagne cocktail.
- Pumpkin Spice Syrup: Add it to your pumpkin spice lattes or a pumpkin spice mule in the fall.
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Demerara Syrup
instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine demerara sugar and water. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Do not let boil. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Store in a mason jar for up to one month.
notes
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