Cocktails with Raspberry syrup
Raspberry syrup is a sugar syrup flavored with raspberries, cooked or steeped in. Unlike plain syrup it brings some acidity of its own, along with a deep pink-red.
How it's used
In a clear drink you see it before you taste it: a small measure turns the glass pink long before the berry comes through. Balance it against the citrus, enough for the berry to show without burying the acid.
Substitutes for Raspberry syrup
Homemade raspberry syrup
Bring 1 part water and 2 parts sugar to a boil until dissolved, then remove from heat. Mash in 1 part raspberries, let steep until cool and strain.
Carries a third to half the sugar. Swapped in, it makes a stronger and less sweet drink, so add a little sugar syrup.
Works in a pinch, in the same amount. It keeps the red color but loses the raspberry flavor.
Storage
Homemade syrup is sugar and fruit juice, and two weeks in the fridge is about as long as it lasts. It warns you on the way out, clouding first and then growing mold. A sealed commercial bottle lasts months and moves to the fridge once opened.
