Cocktail ingredients

Seanachai

Is there a city centre store in Dublin that sells sugar syrup, Grenadine etc for cocktails

L1011

You make sugar syrup. One to one volume, heat, stir, leave to cool. I have never seen it sold premade in any reasonable quantities and it is always ridiculously priced.

Grenadine is sold in big Supervalus and O'Briens; as are the odder liquers you won't always get in smaller offlicences or other supermarkets - triple sec, creme de cassis, creme de menthe, kirsch etc depending on what cocktails you're doing. Aldi and Lidl have some of these at random times of the year, but not permanently.

beardybrewer

You can also google "simple syrup" for many recipes just as above.

Twee.

Celtic Whiskey Shop has a decent selection of flavoured syrups, liquers and bitters. They're not really on display so you'll probably have to ask. In the spirits section to the right of the till there's a shelf tucked away with these sort of things.

I have seen flavoured syrups in TK Maxx before too.

For the sugar syrup, I usually make a batch and put them in old jam jars. It'll keep in the fridge well, but apparently can last longer if you add a bit of vodka.

rubadub

Twee. wrote: »

It'll keep in the fridge well, but apparently can last longer if you add a bit of vodka.

if there is enough sugar it should be pretty much self preserving, hence the name "preserve" for high sugar jam!

some of the homebrew sites carry liquer flavourings intended to be added to neutral spirits. These would be quite strong so could be diluted a little for easier measurements, I suppose they could also be added to sugar syrup so you could have several small bottles and just add more vodka/rum etc for the alcohol kick they are missing. It would also allow you to create alcohol free cocktails for drivers, tee totalers, or kids would love them with umbrellas etc.

Glycerine is an additive in many liquers which gives them the thick mouthfeel, it is also added to some vodkas and other spirits, as they do not have to declare ingredients many are unaware. This is in the baking sections in supermarkets and can be got in chemists, I got a litre on amazon quite cheap. However if making long cocktails I do not think it is really needed.

dudara

Rich sugar syrup is made using 2:1 ratio and is very useful in cocktails for bringing ingredients together as well as adding mouthfeel and sweetness. Even the smallest amount will change the texture of a cocktail.

Very easy to make at home, but be careful as sugar has a very high melting point and causes the worst burns. Store in a sterile, clean jar in the fridge and it lasts for ages.

Twee.

My last sugar syrup was made for French 75s over Easter, perfect for that hot weather!

I got some tea created by Suki for Bushmills, it includes a recipe to make syrup from it to use in whiskey cocktails, I'll make a stab at that over the weekend, first time making a flavoured syrup.