Rich Syrup
Rich syrup is white sugar and water at 2:1 by weight, our house ratio: 400g of sugar dissolved in 200g of warm water. It carries about half again the sugar of simple syrup in each millilitre, so pour two thirds of the measure when it stands in for simple, and it keeps a month in the fridge, twice as long as 1:1.
Quick Facts
Refrigerated in a clean, sealed bottle, labelled with the ratio and the date.
None of the 14 listed allergens.
About Rich Syrup
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Clean sweetness with no flavour of its own when made with white sugar, and a heavier, more viscous texture than simple syrup.
Two to one, by weight
Rich syrup is two parts sugar to one part water, weighed: 400g of sugar in 200g of water makes about 450ml. Weighing matters more than it looks. A cup of caster sugar and a cup of granulated sugar do not weigh the same, so a ratio measured by volume drifts from one bag to the next. At this strength the syrup carries about half again as much sugar per millilitre as our 1:1 simple syrup, so a recipe written for one and made with the other comes out sweeter or thinner than intended.
It sits at the edge of what water can hold
Water at 20°C dissolves about 2g of sugar per millilitre, and 2:1 is right there. That is why rich syrup needs warmth to finish dissolving, why it pours slowly and coats a jigger, and why a few crystals can appear once it has been in the fridge a while. Stood in hot water and shaken, they go back into solution; they are not a sign of spoilage.
Rich syrup beside the other house syrups
Simple syrup
- Ratio by weight
- 1:1 sugar to water
- Sweetness against simple
- The baseline
- In place of 10ml simple
- 10ml
- Keeps, refrigerated
- Two weeks
Rich syrup
- Ratio by weight
- 2:1 sugar to water
- Sweetness against simple
- About half again
- In place of 10ml simple
- About 7ml
- Keeps, refrigerated
- One month
Demerara syrup
- Ratio by weight
- 2:1 demerara to water
- Sweetness against simple
- About half again, with caramel
- In place of 10ml simple
- About 7ml
- Keeps, refrigerated
- One month
Honey syrup
- Ratio by weight
- 2:1 honey to water
- Sweetness against simple
- A little sweeter, and it varies by jar
- In place of 10ml simple
- About 9ml, then taste
- Keeps, refrigerated
- One month
| Syrup | Ratio by weight | Sweetness against simple | In place of 10ml simple | Keeps, refrigerated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple syrup | 1:1 sugar to water | The baseline | 10ml | Two weeks |
| Rich syrup | 2:1 sugar to water | About half again | About 7ml | One month |
| Demerara syrup | 2:1 demerara to water | About half again, with caramel | About 7ml | One month |
| Honey syrup | 2:1 honey to water | A little sweeter, and it varies by jar | About 9ml, then taste | One month |
It belongs where water would get in the way
Stirred, spirit-forward drinks are where rich syrup does most. A stirred drink is already diluted by its ice, and a 1:1 syrup adds more water with every millilitre of sugar; the same sugar from rich syrup arrives in two thirds of the volume. It also suits drinks that use sugar as a seasoning: the Amaretto Sour takes 5ml and the Banana Calling 7.5ml, each a measure that would need to be half again as large in simple syrup.
Warm water, no boiling, and a month in the fridge
Warm the water, add the sugar and stir over a low heat until no crystals remain. Do not let it boil: boiling drives off water and pushes the syrup past 2:1. In a clean, sealed bottle in the fridge it keeps a month, twice as long as simple syrup, because the extra sugar leaves less free water for anything to grow in. Cloudiness, fizz or mould is spoilage, and the batch goes. The syrup chart lists the other 2:1 syrups that keep the same month.
Using Rich Syrup
Usage
Poured in small measures where a drink wants sugar without water: 5ml seasons the Amaretto Sour and 7.5ml sweetens the Banana Calling. It suits stirred, spirit-forward drinks of the Old Fashioned kind, and any recipe whose line says rich syrup or 2:1.
House Recipe
Ingredients
- 400g caster or granulated sugar
- 200g water (200ml)
Method
- Warm the water in a pan, well short of the boil.
- Add the sugar and stir over a low heat until no crystals remain. Do not let it boil, which drives off water and changes the ratio.
- Cool it, then pour it into a clean bottle.
- Label the bottle with 2:1 and the date, and refrigerate it.
Food safety
Keep it cold and sealed. A few sugar crystals in the fridge are not spoilage, and standing the bottle in hot water dissolves them; cloudiness, fizz or mould mean it is finished.
Pro Tip
Make rich syrup when a recipe list uses both. Two thirds of a measure of 2:1 does the work of a full measure of 1:1, so one bottle covers both kinds of line and keeps twice as long.
Top Tips
- Weigh it. 400g of sugar to 200g of water is the ratio, and a cup of sugar weighs a different amount depending on the crystal.
- In place of simple syrup, pour two thirds of the measure, then taste.
- Label the bottle with 2:1 and the date. Rich and simple look identical in the fridge.
- Keep the bottle somewhere it will not be knocked about cold. Crystals form more readily in a syrup that is shaken while chilled.
Possible Substitutions
- Simple Syrup: use about one and a half times the measure
- Demerara Syrup: the same measure at 2:1; it adds caramel
Production Method
Sugar dissolved in half its own weight of warm water, our house ratio of 2:1 by weight, stirred over a low heat until clear and cooled before bottling.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is rich syrup?
What ratio is rich simple syrup?
How do I swap rich syrup for simple syrup?
How long does rich syrup keep?
Why has my rich syrup crystallised?
Is rich syrup the same as demerara syrup?
Can I make rich syrup without heating it?
Which drinks use rich syrup?
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Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 10 October 2026