Mixers

Sugar (Granulated)

Granulated sugar is refined white sugar, almost pure sucrose whether it began as British beet or imported cane, in crystals sized for the kitchen rather than the glass. It barely dissolves in a cold drink, so our recipes use it dry only where the method does the dissolving: a cube crushed with bitters in the Old Fashioned and the Sazerac, or dropped whole into a Champagne Cocktail. Everywhere else it becomes simple syrup.

Quick Facts

ABV0%

Legal categoryFood

OriginGlobal

Flavour Strengthlight medium

SeasonYear-round

Our keeping timeIndefinite, dry and sealed.

Storage

Store in a cool, dry place in an airtight container. Protect from moisture to prevent clumping and contamination.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Sugar (Granulated)

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

Sweet

Tasting Notes

Clean, neutral sweetness with no aroma or aftertaste when fully dissolved. Acts as a structural balancing element rather than a flavour driver.

White sugar, from beet or cane

Granulated sugar is sucrose extracted from sugar beet or sugar cane, purified and crystallised until almost nothing else remains. British beet is grown in East Anglia and the East Midlands and processed in the same region; cane sugar is imported and refined. Once white, the two are interchangeable in a drink. Granulated is the standard grind, coarser than caster and finer than demerara.

It needs help to dissolve in a cold drink

Sugar dissolves quickly in warm water and slowly in cold, and spirit slows it further. A shaken drink sweetened with loose granulated sugar often arrives with grains on the bottom. That is why most of our recipes use simple syrup, the same sugar already dissolved, and why the dry forms appear only where the method does the work.

Sugar in a drink: crystals, cube or syrup

Level teaspoon of fine sugar

Sugar: About 4g
In a cold drink: Dissolves with a hard shake
Where our recipes use it: Sherry Cobbler

Sugar cube

Sugar: About 4g
In a cold drink: Only when crushed with liquid
Where our recipes use it: Old Fashioned, Sazerac, Champagne Cocktail, Absinthe Drip

Caster sugar rim

Sugar: A thin crust
In a cold drink: Stays on the glass
Where our recipes use it: Brandy Crusta

Simple syrup, 10ml

Sugar: About 6g
In a cold drink: Mixes at once
Where our recipes use it: Most sours, on its own page

Form	Sugar	In a cold drink	Where our recipes use it
Level teaspoon of fine sugar	About 4g	Dissolves with a hard shake	Sherry Cobbler
Sugar cube	About 4g	Only when crushed with liquid	Old Fashioned, Sazerac, Champagne Cocktail, Absinthe Drip
Caster sugar rim	A thin crust	Stays on the glass	Brandy Crusta
Simple syrup, 10ml	About 6g	Mixes at once	Most sours, on its own page

The cube is a dose and a ritual

In the Old Fashioned and the Sazerac the cube is soaked in bitters and crushed with a little water until no grains remain, before the spirit goes in. The Champagne Cocktail drops it in whole to dissolve slowly and throw up bubbles, and the Absinthe Drip sets it on a slotted spoon under falling water, optional and one at most.

Using it

Using Sugar (Granulated)

Usage

Dry, as one cube soaked in bitters and crushed with a splash of water. For any other drink, dissolve it 1:1 by weight in warm water to make simple syrup, and measure that instead.

Pro Tip

When sweetness feels uneven through a drink, it is usually undissolved sugar rather than too much of it. Check the bottom of the mixing glass before adding more.

Top Tips

Make syrup rather than spooning sugar into a cold drink. It dissolves, measures and pours.
Crush a cube with its bitters and a few drops of water until no grains remain. Undissolved sugar sweetens only the last sip.
Use caster for a rim. Its finer crystals give an even crust; granulated looks coarse.
Keep it sealed and dry. Damp sugar sets into lumps and is harder to weigh.

Possible Substitutions

Simple Syrup: preferred for cold drinks; dissolved 1:1 by weight
Caster Sugar: finer, dissolves faster; the same sugar
Sugar (Demerara): adds a caramel note; slower to dissolve

Production Method

Juice extracted from sugar beet or sugar cane, purified, crystallised and dried to uniform white granules of almost pure sucrose. In Britain the beet is grown in East Anglia and the East Midlands.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is granulated sugar?

Refined white sugar: almost pure sucrose, extracted from sugar beet or sugar cane and crystallised into medium-sized white grains. In Britain much of it is made from beet grown in East Anglia and the East Midlands. Once refined, beet and cane white sugar sweeten a drink in the same way.

Sugar or syrup in cocktails?

Syrup in almost every cold drink, because granulated sugar dissolves slowly in cold liquid and hardly at all in spirit. Dry sugar belongs only where the method dissolves it: a cube crushed with bitters and water, a hot drink, or a hard shake with very fine sugar. Our recipes say which they mean.

What are sugar cubes for in cocktails?

A fixed dose that dissolves at the drink's own pace. In the Old Fashioned and the Sazerac the cube is soaked in bitters and crushed until it dissolves. In the Champagne Cocktail it is dropped in whole and gives off a stream of bubbles. In the Absinthe Drip it sits on a slotted spoon under the water.

How much sugar is in a sugar cube?

About a level teaspoon, roughly 4g, though cubes vary in size by brand. That is about the sugar in 7ml of our 1:1 simple syrup, which is why a barspoon of syrup can stand in for a cube in an Old Fashioned or a Sazerac when time matters more than ritual.

Can I use granulated sugar to make simple syrup?

Yes, and it is the usual choice. Once dissolved, granulated and caster make the same syrup, and crystal size only changes how long the stirring takes. Weigh equal amounts of sugar and warm water, 250g of each, and stir until clear. Refrigerated, that syrup lasts two weeks.

Is beet sugar different from cane sugar in a drink?

Not once it is refined white sugar. Both are almost pure sucrose, and neither carries a flavour into the glass. The differences people notice are between white sugar and the partly refined cane sugars, such as demerara, which keep some molasses and taste of caramel.

Why does the Champagne Cocktail use a sugar cube?

Because it melts slowly as the drink is sipped, and its rough surface gives the wine somewhere to release bubbles. Loose sugar would dissolve at once and do neither. Our recipe soaks the cube with two dashes of Angostura before it goes into the flute.

Make something

Made with Sugar (Granulated)

Featured In These Cocktails

Old Fashioned Sazerac Champagne Cocktail Absinthe Drip

Often Used With

Updated 11 October 2026

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