Mixers

Vanilla Sugar Syrup

Vanilla sugar syrup is 1:1 simple syrup steeped with a split vanilla pod, alcohol-free, with a fridge life of one week. It sweetens and adds vanilla's warmth in one pour, which is why our Pornstar Martini uses 10ml where the IBA specifies two bar spoons of vanilla sugar: the syrup blends more evenly when shaken cold.

Quick Facts

ABV0% ABV

Legal categoryNon-alcoholic

OriginVanilla comes from orchid pods first domesticated in Mexico; Madagascar and Indonesia now grow most of the world's supply.

Flavour Strengthlight medium

Our keeping timeHome-made: one week refrigerated. Bought: follow the label once opened.

Storage

Refrigerate in a sealed bottle: sugar preserves it, but vanilla pulp and pod invite spoilage if left warm.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Vanilla Sugar Syrup

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

vanillasweetsugarrounded

Tasting Notes

Clean sugar sweetness carrying warm, custardy vanilla: rounded rather than sharp, built to soften acidity.

Vanilla syrup is simple syrup with a pod steeped in it

Vanilla sugar syrup starts as the house simple syrup, 1:1 by weight, and takes a split vanilla pod while it is still warm: seeds scraped in, pod steeped until the syrup cools. The result sweetens exactly like plain syrup and carries vanilla with it, which is all a drink needs from it.

The pod is a cured orchid fruit

Vanilla comes from the seed pods of an orchid first domesticated in Mexico. The plant must be pollinated to set pods, and outside its home range that is done by hand, a method found in 1841 by Edmond Albius, a 12-year-old enslaved boy on Réunion. Madagascar and Indonesia grow most of the world's supply today, and most vanilla flavouring sold is synthetic vanillin rather than the pod.

Ways to get vanilla into a drink

House vanilla syrup

Vanilla from: A split pod and its seeds
Alcohol: None
Keeps: One week, refrigerated
Used in: Pornstar Martini, 10ml

Vanilla sugar

Vanilla from: Sugar stored or ground with vanilla
Alcohol: None
Keeps: Dry, in a sealed jar
Used in: The IBA Pornstar Martini, two bar spoons

Simple syrup and extract

Vanilla from: Extract, a drop or two
Alcohol: A trace
Keeps: Two weeks, refrigerated
Used in: A quick stand-in

Bought vanilla syrup

Vanilla from: Often synthetic vanillin
Alcohol: Check the label
Keeps: As the label says
Used in: Taste before pouring

Option	Vanilla from	Alcohol	Keeps	Used in
House vanilla syrup	A split pod and its seeds	None	One week, refrigerated	Pornstar Martini, 10ml
Vanilla sugar	Sugar stored or ground with vanilla	None	Dry, in a sealed jar	The IBA Pornstar Martini, two bar spoons
Simple syrup and extract	Extract, a drop or two	A trace	Two weeks, refrigerated	A quick stand-in
Bought vanilla syrup	Often synthetic vanillin	Check the label	As the label says	Taste before pouring

Two drinks, two jobs

In the Pornstar Martini it is the counterweight to passion fruit: 10ml against 50ml of purée and 20ml of passion fruit liqueur, with the IBA's two bar spoons of vanilla sugar turned into a syrup that blends evenly when shaken cold. In the Virgin Passion Fruit Martini it does more, 25ml giving the drink the body that vodka would otherwise supply.

It keeps half as long as plain syrup

Its fridge life is a week, half that of plain 1:1 syrup, because the pod and seeds are plant matter. Shake before pouring, since the seeds settle, and expect a few dark flecks in the glass.

Using it

Using Vanilla Sugar Syrup

Usage

The Pornstar Martini takes 10ml against passion fruit purée and liqueur; the Virgin Passion Fruit Martini takes 25ml, where it also gives the body that vodka would otherwise supply. Measure it as you would plain syrup.

House Recipe

Ratio1:1 by weight, steeped with a vanilla pod

MakesAbout 400ml

Our keeping timeOne week refrigerated

Ingredients

250g caster sugar
250g water (250ml)
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways

Method

Warm the water and stir in the sugar until clear.
Scrape the seeds into the syrup, add the pod and take the pan off the heat.
Steep until cool, about an hour, then lift out the pod.
Bottle, label with the date and refrigerate.

Food safety

Plant matter shortens a syrup’s life, so keep it cold. Shake it before pouring, and discard it if it clouds, fizzes or grows mould.

Pro Tip

Keep the vanilla and the passion fruit in proportion. The Pornstar's 10ml of syrup sits against 50ml of purée, and changing the purée without the syrup tips the drink sour or flat.

Top Tips

Scrape the seeds into the warm syrup, then steep the pod in it until cool, about an hour.
Shake the bottle before pouring; the seeds settle.
Read the label on a bought vanilla syrup. Most vanilla flavouring sold is synthetic vanillin rather than the pod.

Possible Substitutions

Simple Syrup: Plus a drop of vanilla extract: close enough for one drink, with a trace of alcohol

Production Method

Simple syrup at 1:1 by weight, with the seeds of a split vanilla pod scraped in and the pod steeped as it cools, then lifted out.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is vanilla sugar syrup?

Simple syrup flavoured with vanilla. The house version takes 250g each of caster sugar and warm water, scrapes in the seeds of a split pod and steeps the pod until the syrup cools. It is non-alcoholic, sweetens like plain syrup, and adds vanilla's rounded warmth.

Why does a Pornstar Martini use vanilla syrup?

The IBA recipe pairs vanilla vodka, passion fruit liqueur and purée with two bar spoons of vanilla sugar. Sugar dissolves slowly in a cold shake, so our recipe uses 10ml of vanilla syrup instead, which mixes evenly and puts the same sweet vanilla against the passion fruit.

How do I make vanilla sugar syrup?

Warm 250g of water, add 250g of caster sugar and stir until clear. Split a vanilla pod, scrape the seeds into the syrup, add the pod and take the pan off the heat. Steep until cool, about an hour, lift out the pod, then bottle, date and refrigerate. It makes about 400ml.

Is vanilla syrup alcoholic?

Not when made with a pod: it is sugar, water and vanilla. Vanilla extract is made in alcohol, 35% on our extract page, so a syrup flavoured with a few drops carries a trace. That is why the Virgin Passion Fruit Martini line suggests reading the label when serving someone who avoids alcohol altogether.

Pod or extract for vanilla syrup?

The pod, for a syrup that will be tasted closely. It brings the seeds and a rounder vanilla; extract is quicker and adds a trace of alcohol. Many bought vanilla syrups use neither, since most vanilla flavouring sold is synthetic vanillin rather than the pod, so read the label if it matters.

How long does vanilla syrup keep?

Our infused-syrup rule applies: one week, chilled. The pod and seeds shorten its life compared with plain 1:1, which keeps two weeks. Shake it before each pour, because the seeds settle. A bought bottle keeps as its label says once opened.

What can I use instead of vanilla syrup?

Plain simple syrup with a drop of vanilla extract gets close for one drink. Plain syrup alone works but loses the vanilla, which in a Pornstar Martini is much of what rounds the passion fruit. The vanilla vodka already in that drink carries some of the flavour, so the gap is smaller there.

Make something

Made with Vanilla Sugar Syrup

Featured In These Cocktails

Pornstar Martini Virgin Passion Fruit Martini

Often Used With

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 11 October 2026

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