Recipes Drinks 15 Cocktails to Make With One Batch of Simple Syrup Make a batch and keep it in your fridge for impromptu cocktail parties. By Oset Babür-Winter Oset Babür-Winter Instagram Twitter Title: Senior Drinks Editor, Food & WineLocation: New York CityExperience: Oset Babür-Winter has completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust's (WSET) Level 3 Award in wines and was previously the magazine's associate culture editor, where she edited Obsessions. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on January 19, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Honey Trap cocktail. Photo: GUILLERMO RIVEROS If you've ever had a Mai Tai, Old Fashioned, or Mint Julep, you've enjoyed the balanced sweetness that simple syrup brings to these classic cocktails. With just one part granulated sugar and one part boiling water, simple syrup couldn't be easier to make, but it does need to be fully cooled before you add it to a cocktail. Having a batch ready in the fridge — you can keep simple syrup stored in an air-tight container for up to one month — is one of our favorite ways to keep cocktails flowing for happy hour, dinner parties, or last-minute gatherings. Not sure how to use up the rest of that syrup? Read on for 15 of our favorite alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails that call for simple syrup. 01 of 15 Old Fashioned Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox Don't be fooled by the inherent simplicity of the drink — there is room for creativity and personalization when it comes to making an Old Fashioned. Get the recipe 02 of 15 Gin Fizz Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Kathleen Varner / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey The classic Gin Fizz is a light, fresh, and bright cocktail, perfect for brunch or before dinner. The floral notes of the gin play beautifully with the lemon, while the egg white brings a velvety mouthfeel that balances the drink. For the frothiest drink, take care when separating the egg whites and be sure to shake the drink vigorously for the full 30 seconds. Get the recipe 03 of 15 Long Island Iced Tea Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon With four spirits and one liqueur, the Long Island Iced Tea is not a cocktail for the faint of heart. Get the recipe 04 of 15 Gin-Campari Old Fashioned Dave Kwiatkowski of The Sugar House creates this variation on an Old Fashioned by swapping gin for the whiskey. A splash of Campari adds bitterness and a rosy color. Get the recipe 05 of 15 Hawksmoor Apple Martini Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Adam Montgomerie, bar manager of English steakhouse Hawksmoor's buzzy outpost in New York City, has a smart and elevated riff on the appletini. Think of the Hawksmoor Apple Martini as the love child between the nostalgic, sweet Appletini of the 1990s and the booze-forward dry Martini that sweet-up drink is derived from. In place of apple liqueur and sour mix, this recipe calls for the highest quality eau-de-vie — a clear fruit brandy — and a splash of homemade malic acid eau-de-vie that delivers a crisp apple finish. Get the recipe 06 of 15 Frozmopolitan Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Cocktail savant Toby Cecchini is credited with inventing the internationally recognized version of Cosmopolitan — a drink he codified while bartending at the Odeon. These days, as the owner of The Long Island bar in Brooklyn, he continues to come up with distinctive drinks that taste like instant classics, including this frozen Cosmopolitan that's great for a crowd. Get the recipe 07 of 15 Honey Trap Honey Trap cocktail. GUILLERMO RIVEROS Smoky, sweet, tart, and pleasantly warming, the Honey Trap is the perfect autumnal cocktail for a tequila lover. Get the recipe 08 of 15 French 75 Guillermo Riveros / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter This luxurious, delicious combination of gin and Champagne can be easily scaled up for a crowd. Get the recipe 09 of 15 Mai Tai Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon If the only Mai Tai you've ever had was pink, then you've never had a Mai Tai. Get the recipe 10 of 15 Paris Between the Wars Photo by Victor Protasio / Prop Styling by Christine Keely With rich smokiness from the blended Scotch, rounded bitterness from Campari, and a tart bite from fresh lemon juice, this cocktail is well-balanced and refreshing. Get the recipe 11 of 15 Coffee Cooler Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter This caffeinated non-alcoholic cocktail is perfect for the beginning or end of a night out. Get the recipe 12 of 15 New York Sour Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas The perfect balance of fruity red wine and smoky-sweet bourbon, the New York Sour cocktail is a classic for a reason. Shaking the cocktail with large ice cubes will chill the cocktail without diluting it — and those large cubes look great in a rocks glass, too. Be sure to pour the wine slowly over the back of the spoon to create the perfect float. If you're feeling adventurous, add an egg white to the shaker for a thicker viscosity. Get the recipe 13 of 15 Frozen Salted Espresso Martini Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood If you're an Espresso Martini fan, you'll love this frosty twist. First, brewed espresso is frozen in an ice cube tray; once the cubes are solid, they're processed with coffee liqueur, vodka, and simple syrup in a blender until smooth. The resulting martinis are well-balanced, with notes of caramel and vanilla. The liqueur and syrup give them subtle sweetness, the vodka adds a smooth element, and the espresso brings earthy bitterness. An elegant sprinkle of flaky sea salt finishes the drinks off, and balances the espresso's bitterness. Make sure to chill the glasses before serving and enjoy right away. Get the recipe 14 of 15 Hebrew Hammer Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This fruity, bright pink Hanukkah cocktail combines framboise and a yeasty simple syrup in homage to the flavors of sufganiyot, Israeli doughnuts. Get the recipe 15 of 15 Mint Julep Photo by Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis The Mint Julep has been the iconic drink of the Kentucky Derby since 1939, but references to the cocktail go as far back as the year 900, when it was sipped for medicinal purposes. Get the recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! 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