Honey Simple Syrup: How to Make & Use it

Hey honey! Too much? Whatever. Today we're talking honey simple syrup: simple syrup's better, easier counterpart.

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Simple syrup is a simple (for lack of a better word) solution of sugar dissolved in water. It's great for sweetening things, particularly cold drinks, because the sugar is already dissolved so you don't have to worry about it remaining granular.

The only real difference between traditional simple syrup and honey simple syrup is that honey simple syrup is made with honey instead of sugar. Not only does that make it a bit "healthier" (I use that word loosely, we're still talking about sugar here), but it also makes the syrup easier to make. Another benefit of using honey simple syrup is that honey has a fairly long shelf life (a couple of years as long as it doesn't get crystallized), so you don't have to use it all up super quickly.

You can make any amount you want, I've made as little as two teaspoons at a time for a single cocktail before. I usually make about a cup at a time to keep in the fridge to use throughout the next couple of weeks.

What makes this easier to make than traditional simple syrup is that since honey is already a liquid, it dissolves more quickly in water than sugar does. Because of this, you don't need to keep mixing it on the stove, you can just plain old boiling water. With that being said, let's make it!

Ingredients

• 1 part honey
• 1 part boiling water

Directions

1. First, decide how much honey simple syrup you want to make. You will need half of that amount in honey, and the other half in water. For example, if I want one cup of honey syrup, I'll need 1/2 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of water.
2. Measure honey into a heat-safe bowl. 
3. Boil water. I just use tap water, but distilled is great too. Pour the same amount of water as you have honey over the honey.
4. Whisk honey and water together until the honey is completely dissolved. (I highly recommend using these mini whisks - they're so handy!)
5. Let cool to room temperature, and then move to the fridge to chill. I like to store my syrup in a glass jar.

How to use it

1. Iced coffee or tea: The primary reason I keep honey simple syrup on hand is to mix into iced coffee. Kenny's not a fan of hot coffee, but he loves it iced, so I whip up honey iced lattes for him on the regular. It's also GREAT to have on hand if you're hosting a meal and serving iced tea. My family is made up of a lot of iced tea drinkers who all prefer a different level of sweetness in their iced tea. Please everyone by having honey simple syrup available to mix into their tea at their discretion, and no one will have to worry about whether it will mix in effectively or not like they would if you had provided sugar or regular honey.
2. Cocktails: I always use honey syrup in my cocktails in place of regular simple. It doesn't affect the flavor much if at all, so it works just the same. Try it in my pink French 75 recipe!
3. Drizzle over fruit: Sometimes you have a bowl of fruit that just needs a little something extra. Try it with a drizzle of honey syrup and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice! This is also a great way to spice up a fruit salad if you're serving brunch for a group.
4. Brush over cake: If you want to really amp up the moisture in a cake, brush some syrup over it and let it soak in for a few minutes before frosting it. For bundt cakes, you can even perforate the cake with a cake tester or toothpick and pour some syrup over the cake so that it really soaks in.

That's all for today! I hope you'll try some honey simple syrup in your life, it's so easy to make and great to have in the fridge, especially if you're a coffee or cocktail aficionado like  me.

xoxx, Laura