Sugar (Demerara)
Demerara sugar is a partly refined cane sugar with large amber crystals that keep a little of their molasses, still 97 to 99% sucrose. Our recipes take it as crystals only where heat or a long muddle dissolves it: a teaspoon in the Irish Coffee and the Blue Blazer, a cube in the American Trilogy. For cold drinks it becomes demerara syrup at 2:1, good for a month refrigerated.
Quick Facts
Store in a cool, dry place in an airtight container. Protect from moisture to prevent clumping. Syrup should be refrigerated and used within one month.
None of the 14 listed allergens.
About Sugar (Demerara)
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Warm caramel sweetness with subtle molasses depth and a fuller mouthfeel than refined white sugar. Adds richness without excessive sweetness when used correctly.
Large crystals with some molasses left in
Demerara is made by spinning crystallised cane sugar in a centrifuge until part of the molasses has gone, then stopping. What is left is a dry, amber crystal of 97 to 99% sucrose with a light caramel note. Weight for weight it sweetens about as white sugar does; what changes in a drink is the flavour and the speed, because the crystals are several times larger than caster.
Hot drinks take it dry
Heat dissolves what a cold glass cannot. The Irish Coffee stirs a level teaspoon into hot coffee before the whiskey, and the Blue Blazer adds its teaspoon only after the flame has been put out. The American Trilogy soaks a demerara or brown cube in orange bitters and muddles it slowly, and the Navy Grog gives a ration version stirred into water with the rum and lime.
Demerara as crystals, as a cube and as syrup
Loose demerara, a teaspoon
- How it goes in
- Stirred into a hot drink
- Dissolves in a cold drink
- Barely
- Keeps
- Indefinitely, sealed and dry
Demerara cube
- How it goes in
- Soaked in bitters and muddled
- Dissolves in a cold drink
- Slowly, with work
- Keeps
- Indefinitely, sealed and dry
Demerara syrup, 2:1
- How it goes in
- Measured in millilitres
- Dissolves in a cold drink
- At once
- Keeps
- One month refrigerated
| Form | How it goes in | Dissolves in a cold drink | Keeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loose demerara, a teaspoon | Stirred into a hot drink | Barely | Indefinitely, sealed and dry |
| Demerara cube | Soaked in bitters and muddled | Slowly, with work | Indefinitely, sealed and dry |
| Demerara syrup, 2:1 | Measured in millilitres | At once | One month refrigerated |
Cold drinks take it as syrup
Shaken or stirred cold, demerara crystals stay gritty. The answer is demerara syrup, the same sugar dissolved at 2:1 in hot water, which pours and measures like any other syrup; we keep it a month chilled. For the softer, damper sugars sold as brown sugar, and for fine white caster sugar, see their own pages.
Using Sugar (Demerara)
Usage
A level teaspoon in a hot drink, dissolved before the spirit goes in, as in the Irish Coffee; a cube soaked in bitters and muddled slowly for a stirred drink. For anything shaken or served cold, make it into demerara syrup first.
Pro Tip
In an Irish Coffee, judge the sugar by the cream. The demerara thickens the coffee enough for lightly whipped cream to float, so a coffee short of sugar lets the cream sink however carefully it is poured.
Top Tips
- Dissolve it before the spirit. In the Irish Coffee the sugar goes into the hot coffee first, so the whiskey is not stirred hard.
- Give a demerara cube longer under the muddler than a white one. The crystals are larger and slower.
- Keep it sealed and dry. Damp demerara clumps into a block.
- For a cold drink, use demerara syrup at 2:1 rather than the crystals.
Possible Substitutions
- Brown Sugar: finer texture, slightly less depth
- Demerara Syrup: preferred for cocktails
Production Method
Cane sugar crystallised from partly refined cane juice and spun in a centrifuge to remove only part of the molasses, leaving large amber crystals of 97 to 99% sucrose.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is demerara sugar?
Demerara sugar or white sugar in a cocktail?
Why does the Irish Coffee use demerara sugar?
Can I put demerara sugar in a cold drink?
Is demerara sugar the same as brown sugar?
How long does demerara sugar keep?
What drinks use demerara sugar?
Made with Sugar (Demerara)
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Often Used With
Updated 17 October 2026