Simple Syrup, Cocktail Codex

NEXT-LEVEL TECHNIQUE: MAKING SYRUPS

Syrups are common enough in cocktail making, but they aren’t always given the attention they deserve. A basic syrup (such as simple syrup, or equal parts water and sugar) is the best way to consistently and accurately add sweetness to a drink. The alternative, using sugar granules, introduces too many variables from sugar to sugar and bartender to bartender. To make the most accurate and consistent syrups, we have taken to making these ingredients with care, technique, and precision.

A basic sugar syrup is also a great platform to build upon, whether by adding another flavor or by using a thickener, such as the gum arabic in our Demerara Gum Syrup (this page). You can also play with the proportion of sugar to water or substitute an alternative sweetener, such as honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup.

Water quality is an important consideration in making syrups. Some local water sources are perfect for making syrups, others less so. To ensure the best results no matter what the quality of your water, we recommend using filtered water. At some of our bars, we go so far as to soften the water or introduce particular minerals to ensure the quality is as good as possible for making syrups, but for most uses, a standard household water filter will suffice.

VOLUME VS. WEIGHT: HOW WE MEASURE

As a general rule, we use a gram scale for measuring ingredients when making syrups, infusions, and other cocktail building blocks. Measuring volume by sight, even with measuring cups, tends to be less than accurate, whereas using a scale leads to consistent results. We use two different gram scales: one that can measure large quantities (up to 4 kilograms), and another that can accurately measure extremely small quantities (down to 0.01 gram).

HAND-MIXED SYRUPS

Hand-mixed syrups are simple enough: just mix the sweetener and water by whisking or shaking. Most hand-mixed syrups that use granulated sugar are made with equal parts of sugar and water. Those that use a liquid sweetener, such as honey, may need a much smaller proportion of water. We mix syrups by hand when the ingredients will integrate easily at room temperature, but also when we want to maintain the ratio of water to sweetener. For example, simple syrup is often made by dissolving granulated sugar in boiling water ; however, we prefer to hand mix our simple syrup to ensure that no water evaporates or boils off, which would alter the 1-to-1 ratio of sugar to water. Heat also affects the molecular structure of sugar. For example, if sucrose, the disaccharide commonly known as white table sugar, undergoes an extended period of boiling, it will eventually convert to the monosaccharides glucose and fructose, which taste sweeter (and cause nasty hangovers).

HOW TO MAKE HAND-MIXED SYRUPS

Gram scale

Bowl

Whisk

Storage container

Carefully measure the ingredients by weight.
Combine the ingredients in a bowl.
Whisk or shake until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Pour the syrup into a storage container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Simple Syrup

YIELD: 16 OUNCES

TECHNIQUE: HAND MIXED

Simple syrup is a mixture of equal parts white sugar and water. It has a very neutral flavor, which is one of its best attributes for drink making. We typically use very small amounts of simple syrup—between ½ teaspoon and ¼ ounce—to boost flat flavors or to curb bitterness without destroying it. We use it only in large quantities—¾ ounce to 1 ounce—to balance citrus.

250 grams white sugar

250 grams filtered water

Put the sugar and water in a bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.

Honey Syrup

YIELD: ABOUT 16 OUNCES

TECHNIQUE: HAND MIXED

Most of the honey sold in grocery stores is clover honey. While you can make great drinks with high-quality clover honey, we find that most commercial clover honeys dominate other ingredients in drinks. We prefer lighter clover honeys for making drinks, or better yet, light floral varietals like acacia, which is our favorite for general cocktail use. Unfortunately, good-quality honey is becoming increasingly difficult to find and costly, making it harder for us to find consistent sources of our favorite honeys and even harder to continue justifying their extravagant expense. We’ve compromised by using a more generic wildflower honey, which has been successful thus far.

Because of honey’s viscosity, we combine it with water (at roughly three parts by volume of honey to one part by volume of water) to make it more mixable in cocktails.

540 grams acacia or wildflower honey

100 grams warm filtered water

Combine the honey and water in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly blended. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.

BLENDER SYRUPS

Making syrups in a blender speeds the dissolution of sugar crystals and powdered ingredients, such as citric acid. We also use a blender for syrups that contain ingredients that would be negatively impacted by heat, such as strawberries.

HOW TO MAKE BLENDER SYRUPS

Gram scale

Blender

Fine-mesh sieve

Storage container

Carefully measure the ingredients by weight.
Combine the ingredients in a blender.
Blend at high speed until the sugar has dissolved and any solid ingredients are liquefied.
If solid ingredients are used, strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve.
Pour the syrup into a storage container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

SYRUP SHELF LIFE

Because sugar is a preservative, many syrups will keep for a decent amount of time if stored properly. But when sugar is combined with fruit, it can become a breeding ground for bacteria. As a basic rule of thumb, we tend to avoid using syrups that are more than two weeks old. Those that are made with just a sweetener and water will probably keep longer, but others, such as strawberry syrup, are more prone to spoilage. Always taste homemade syrups before using them. If you detect any fizziness, don’t use them—it means the syrup has begun to ferment.

Blended Strawberry Syrup

YIELD: ABOUT 16 OUNCES

TECHNIQUE: BLENDER

Anyone who’s ever eaten a berry in peak season knows that most berry-flavored things offer only a pale imitation of the natural brilliance of the flavor of the actual fruit. This often has to do with how berries are processed into syrups and other flavorings. For example, as soon as heat is applied to strawberries, their flavor begins to develop an artificial taste. So to lock in the freshest strawberry flavor, we blend equal weights of strawberries and sugar, then pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.

250 grams hulled strawberries

250 grams white sugar

Combine the strawberries and sugar in a blender and process until very smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.

Cane Sugar Syrup

YIELD: ABOUT 16 OUNCES

TECHNIQUE: BLENDER

Unbleached cane sugar isn’t quite as refined as standard table sugar. It has a pale amber color and granules that are about twice the size of table sugar granules. It also has more flavor than white sugar but less than demerara, which makes it highly versatile. Adding just 1 teaspoon of this syrup to a spirituous drink can lift its flavors and add texture, and it can also play well with citrus, especially when the base spirit has plenty of personality, as in the case of tequila or rhum agricole. As with our Demerara Gum Syrup (this page), we use it to make a rich syrup with two parts sugar to one part water to maximize its personality.

300 grams unbleached cane sugar

150 grams filtered water

Combine the cane sugar with water in a blender and process until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.

House Grenadine

YIELD: 16 OUNCES

TECHNIQUE: BLENDER

Many bars make grenadine by reducing pomegranate juice and adding other flavorings. The result is a syrup that’s murky and dense and, to us, tastes nothing like the grenadine we remember from childhood. Sure, that neon-red stuff in our Shirley Temples was made with high-fructose corn syrup, but it was pretty and we loved it. We wanted to develop a recipe for grenadine that uses high-quality ingredients while also honoring our memories of the stuff, and eventually came up with this simple, clean version that’s incredibly simple to make.

250 grams POM Wonderful pomegranate juice

250 grams unbleached cane sugar

1.85 grams powdered malic acid

1.25 grams powdered citric acid

0.15 gram Terra Spice orange extract

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 weeks.

House Ginger Syrup

YIELD: ABOUT 16 OUNCES

TECHNIQUE: BLENDER

Ginger, typically in the form of ginger beer, is crucial in classic cocktails like the Moscow Mule (this page) and the Dark and Stormy (this page), as well as contemporary drinks like the Penicillin (this page). Although there are many delicious ginger beers on the market, bartenders often prefer to use ginger syrup (often mixed with soda) to achieve a similar flavor profile. Our version of ginger syrup combines 1 part fresh ginger juice with 1½ parts unbleached cane sugar. The resulting syrup has a fiery pungency that almost burns—it’s intense, for sure, but it can be balanced by other ingredients. If you don’t have a juicer that can handle ginger, look for fresh ginger juice at specialty grocers or juice shops. Just be sure to start with plain ginger juice, free of added sweeteners or flavorings.

250 grams fresh ginger, washed and coarsely chopped

About 300 grams unbleached cane sugar

Juice the ginger (you don’t need to peel it first) and pass the juice through a fine-mesh sieve. Weigh the ginger juice, then multiply the weight by 1.5 and weigh out that much sugar.

Combine the ginger juice and sugar in a blender and process until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.

SPECIAL SYRUP INGREDIENTS

Gum arabic: Also known as gum acacia, this is hardened sap harvested from the acacia tree. It’s mostly comprised of various sugars and a small amount of protein. Some of the proteins allow it to act as an emulsifier, thickening syrups and binding their ingredients together, as in our Demerara Gum Syrup (this page) and Pineapple Gum Syrup (this page).

Citric acid: This is the acid present in citrus fruits. We use citric acid powder as a flavoring agent for syrups, such as our Raspberry Syrup (this page). We also use it to make a solution (5 parts water to 1 part citric acid) that we substitute for fresh citrus juice in certain cocktails when we want to add acidity without the particles in the juice. This is also important for carbonated cocktails, where pulpy juice can inhibit carbonation (see this page).

Lactic acid: We sometimes use lactic acid, also known as milk acid, in very small quantities to add a round texture to certain syrups, such as our Vanilla Lactic Syrup (this page).

Malic acid: First isolated from apple juice, malic acid has a flavor reminiscent of unripe green apples. We use it when we want to impart an impression of tartness, as in our House Grenadine (this page).

Pectinex Ultra SP-L: This enzyme aids in clarification by breaking apart bonds in solids within a syrup. We only use Pectinex when we want to clarify ingredients that contain pectin, processing them either in a centrifuge, as with our Clarified Strawberry Syrup (this page), or simply by mixing in Pectinex and allowing the liquid to sit.

IMMERSION CIRCULATOR SYRUPS

Cooking sous vide (French for “under vacuum”) with an immersion circulator involves sealing ingredients in a plastic bag and cooking them in a temperature-controlled water bath. This helps maintain the fresh flavors of the ingredients. Our favorite example of this is raspberry syrup: raspberries are delicate, and when cooked at too high a temperature, their flavor changes, becoming more candy-like. But if you seal the raspberries, sugar, and water in a bag and cook the syrup in a temperature-controlled water bath (at a balmy 135°F in this case), the result is a syrup that beautifully captures the essence of fresh raspberries—and it’s pretty to look at, too. We also use the immersion circulator method to help dissolve certain powders, such as gum arabic. This allows us to create our Demerara Gum Syrup (this page) and Pineapple Gum Syrup (this page) in a matter of hours, rather than days.

SUPERBAGS

A Superbag is a fine-mesh bag strainer that can be purchased online (we get ours from Modernist Pantry). Superbags are not only reusable, but also the material is so strong that you can squeeze the bag with force to speed up some filtrations. Superbags come in various sizes and micron perforations: 100, 250, 400, and 800 microns (800 is the coarsest size). For syrup preparation, we recommend a medium-size 250 micron bag.

HOW TO MAKE IMMERSION CIRCULATOR SYRUPS

Large water basin

Immersion circulator

Gram scale

Bowl

Resealable, heatproof plastic bag, such as a freezer bag

Ice bath

Fine-mesh sieve

Coffee filter or Superbag (see this page)

Storage container

Fill the basin with water and place the immersion circulator inside.
Set the circulator to the desired temperature.
Carefully measure the ingredients by weight and combine them in a bowl.
Transfer the mixture to a sealable, heatproof plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible by sealing the bag almost completely, then dipping the bag (other than the unsealed portion) in the water. The counterpressure from the water will push the rest of the air out. Finish sealing the bag, then remove it from the water.
When the water has reached the desired temperature, place the sealed bag in the basin.
Carefully remove the bag when the specified time is up.
Transfer the bag to an ice bath and let cool to room temperature.
Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any solids. If any particles remain in the syrup, strain it through a paper coffee filter or Superbag.
Transfer the syrup to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Raspberry Syrup

YIELD: ABOUT 16 OUNCES | TECHNIQUE: IMMERSION CIRCULATOR

Gently heating raspberries in a simple syrup allows the heat to extract the berries’ flavor at a temperature below that at which they start to taste like jam. Unlike other raspberry syrups that either blend raspberries with sugar (which extracts bitter flavors from the fruit’s seeds and makes a cloudy syrup) or that cook raspberries in simple syrup (creating a jam-like syrup with a deep purple hue), the immersion circulator extracts a vibrant, transparent pink syrup. This is pretty, sure, but it also means that there are no free-floating particles that would get in the way of carbonation, either in a fully carbonated cocktail or in a Collins.

500 grams simple syrup (this page)

150 grams fresh raspberries

2.5 grams citric acid

Fill a large basin with water and place an immersion circulator inside. Set the circulator to 135°F.

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Transfer to a sealable, heatproof plastic bag. Seal the bag almost completely, then remove as much air as possible by dipping the bag (other than the unsealed portion) in the water. Finish sealing the bag, then remove it from the water.

When the water has reached 135°F, place the bag in the basin and cook for 2 hours.

Place the bag in an ice bath and let cool to room temperature. Pass the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve. If any particles remain in the syrup, strain it through a paper coffee filter or Superbag. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.

Cinnamon Syrup

YIELD: ABOUT 16 OUNCES | TECHNIQUE: IMMERSION CIRCULATOR

Until recently, bartenders have made cinnamon syrup either by steeping cinnamon sticks in simple syrup overnight or by boiling the syrup and cinnamon sticks together. Neither is ideal. The first method produces a mild syrup that’s somewhat bitter, and while the second one does produce a syrup with pungent flavor, the process skews the syrup to the sweeter side, as some of the water boils off. Using an immersion circulator allows a real breakthrough, producing a syrup with an incredible spectrum of cinnamon flavors, not just the typical Red Hots candy flavor. It has deep, woodsy undertones and a bright aroma similar to the smell of freshly grated cinnamon.

500 grams simple syrup (this page)

10 grams crushed cinnamon sticks

0.1 gram kosher salt

Fill a large basin with water and place an immersion circulator inside. Set the circulator to 145°F.

When the water has reached 145°F, place the bag in the basin and cook for 2 hours.

Grapefruit Cordial

YIELD: ABOUT 16 OUNCES | TECHNIQUE: IMMERSION CIRCULATOR

This method can be used to make a cordial from any citrus fruit. Consider trying it with Meyer lemons or any variety of tangerine or mandarin orange. Just be aware that you’ll need to adjust the amount of citric acid depending on the type of citrus; since citric acid adds brightness, you’ll want to use less with high-acid fruits. Note that we use a lower heat level in this recipe: just 135°F, as the cordial may lose its bright, fresh flavor if cooked at higher heat. As the cordial cooks, the zest and juice particles break down, creating a syrup that has multiple layers of grapefruit flavor.

250 grams strained fresh

grapefruit juice

250 grams unbleached cane sugar

2.5 grams citric acid

10 grams grapefruit zest

Fill a large basin with water and place an immersion circulator inside. Set the circulator to 135°F.

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until blended. Transfer to a sealable, heatproof plastic bag. Seal the bag almost completely, then remove as much air as possible by dipping the bag (other than the unsealed portion) in the water. Finish sealing the bag, then remove it from the water.

When the water has reached 135°F, place the bag in the basin and cook for 2 hours.

Place the bag in an ice bath and let cool to room temperature. Pass the cordial through a fine-mesh sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth. If any particles remain in the cordial, strain it again through a paper coffee filter or Superbag. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.

Demerara Gum Syrup

YIELD: ABOUT 16 OUNCES | TECHNIQUE: IMMERSION CIRCULATOR

Demerara sugar has large, dark granules. The dark color comes from the molasses naturally present within the sugar, which confers a rich toffee flavor. In cocktails, we often use Demerara Gum Syrup to round off the edges of intense spirits, as in Old-Fashioneds, or to add richness. However, because of demerara’s molasses-y flavor, there are also limits to its use. If we’re seeking a clean or sharp flavor in a cocktail, we typically don’t use this syrup, as it could muddy the drink. In addition, the qualities that allow it to round the edges of fiery spirits can make it unsuitable for other applications; for example, we probably wouldn’t use it in a Daiquiri, where it may dull the fresh, bright flavors we’re looking for. In stirred cocktails like the Old-Fashioned, a gum syrup allows us to add more body to a cocktail without making it too sweet.

300 grams demerara sugar

18 grams gum arabic

150 grams filtered water

Fill a large basin with water and place an immersion circulator inside. Set the circulator to 145°F.

Combine the demerara sugar and gum arabic in a blender and process for 30 seconds. With the blender running, slowly add the water and continue to process until all the dry ingredients have dissolved, about 2 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a sealable, heatproof plastic bag. Seal the bag almost completely, then remove as much air as possible by dipping the bag (other than the unsealed portion) in the water. Finish sealing the bag, then remove it from the water.

When the water has reached 145°F, place the sealed bag in the basin and cook for 2 hours.

Place the bag in an ice bath and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.

SCALING UP RECIPES

The syrup recipes in this book will generally produce about 16 ounces of syrup—enough to make a batch for a party, but not so much that it will linger in your fridge for a long time. If scaling up these recipes, be mindful of each ingredient’s strength. When dealing with sugar or other sweeteners and water, scaling up is just a matter of simple math. However, ingredients like spices or extracts may be overly intense when scaled up. So if you’re making a larger-than-double batch of a syrup that contains spices or extracts, start with two-thirds the amount, then taste and adjust from there.

Pineapple Gum Syrup

YIELD: ABOUT 16 OUNCES | TECHNIQUE: IMMERSION CIRCULATOR

Because of the high pectin levels in pineapple juice, shaken cocktails that contain it have a beautiful frothy head, much like that on a cocktail that contains egg white. But pineapple juice quickly separates out from the rest of a drink, and it can also spoil in fairly short order. To combat both of these issues, we often incorporate fresh pineapple juice in the form of this syrup, which includes a bit of citric acid, which gives the syrup more sharpness and clarity, cuts through the sweetness of the sugar, and brightens the natural pineapple flavor. As we were developing this syrup, we found that we wanted to use it not just in shaken cocktails, but also stirred. So, as in our Demerara Gum Syrup (this page), we add a bit of gum arabic, which also has the benefit of keeping the sugar and pineapple juice in solution. As the ingredients are heated in the immersion circulator, the gum arabic dissolves and makes the liquid translucent, and the pineapple’s pulp and juice break down into a homogenous liquid syrup without losing the fruit’s bright, tropical flavor.

250 grams unbleached cane sugar

15 grams gum arabic

1.5 grams citric acid

250 grams fresh pineapple juice

Fill a large basin with water and place the immersion circulator inside. Set the circulator to 145°F.

Combine the sugar, gum arabic, and citric acid in a blender and process for 30 seconds. With the blender running, slowly add the pineapple juice and continue to process until all of the dry ingredients have dissolved, about 2 minutes.

When the water has reached 145°F, place the bag in the basin and cook for 2 hours.

Place the bag in an ice bath and let cool to room temperature. Strain through a Superbag, transfer to a storage container, and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 week.

DIRECT-HEAT SYRUPS

We rarely make syrups over direct heat, as gas, electric, and induction ranges all work differently, which makes it hard to present a recipe that will yield consistent results, especially when working with fragile ingredients. Also, water evaporates when heated, causing the syrup to become more concentrated. Nevertheless, there are times when direct heat can help extract flavor more quickly: heat causes the molecules to get moving, resulting in more surface contact, and therefore more flavor, faster. For example, in our Spiced Almond Demerara Gum Syrup (see this page), we get the best results when we lightly simmer a base of Demerara Gum Syrup with the flavorings.

HOW TO MAKE DIRECT-HEAT SYRUPS

Gram scale

Saucepan

Stove

Fine-mesh sieve

Storage container

Carefully measure the ingredients by weight and combine in a saucepan.
Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Don’t allow the ingredients to stick to the bottom of the pan. Simmer for the specified period—usually just a very short time.
Remove from the heat and cover the pan. This will ensure that any additional evaporation is contained; the water will condense, preventing the syrup from becoming more concentrated.
Let the syrup cool, then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve.
Transfer the syrup to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Spiced Almond Demerara Gum Syrup

YIELD: ABOUT 16 OUNCES

TECHNIQUE: DIRECT HEAT

This syrup was created to add both balance and seasoning to the Normandie Club Old-Fashioned (this page). Cinnamon, clove, and cardamom add bright spice notes, while the almonds bring a fatty roundness that, in the Normandie Club Old-Fashioned, complements the coconut-infused bourbon. When we use spiced syrups in small quantities to season drinks, they perform in much the same way as bitters do. In other applications, such as when we want to incorporate a larger quantity in a citrus-based cocktail, we often find that the best strategy is to use a neutral syrup, such as simple syrup, in place of part of the spiced syrup so its flavor won’t be overwhelming.

500 grams Demerara Gum Syrup (this page)

30 grams sliced almonds

6 grams crushed cinnamon sticks

0.25 gram whole cloves, preferably Penang cloves

1 green cardamom pod

Put the gum syrup in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes, maintaining a simmer throughout; don’t let the mixture reach a rolling boil. Let cool to room temperature, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 month.

CENTRIFUGE SYRUPS

Centrifuge syrups can begin with any type of syrup, which is then spun at an incredibly high speed (up to 4,500 rpm) to separate out any solids. Although this requires advanced equipment, it can produce beautiful results. We use this technique when a translucent syrup will create a more visually appealing drink or when we plan to carbonate the cocktail (see this page).

We use refurbished laboratory centrifuges from Ozark Biomedical. Our preferred unit—the Jouan CR422, which costs around $3,500 to $4,000—can spin 3 quarts of liquid at a time and clarify it in just 10 to 15 minutes. That said, there are now units available for culinary use that are far less expensive. One of the latest is Dave Arnold’s Spinzall, which costs about $800.

Don’t have a centrifuge? That’s okay; you can follow much of the method below, then allow the syrup to sit overnight and strain the syrup through at least four layers of cheesecloth overnight in a refrigerator.

HOW TO MAKE CENTRIFUGE SYRUPS

Gram scale

Large gram scale

Bowl

Centrifuge containers with lids

Centrifuge

Superbag or paper coffee filter

Storage container

First prepare a base syrup using one of the previously described methods.
Measure the weight of a centrifuge container using a gram scale, then add the syrup and calculate the difference. (Or, if your scale has a tare function, place the container on it, zero the scale, then add the syrup and determine its weight.)
Calculate 0.2% of the weight of the syrup (multiply by 0.002) to get X grams.
Stir X grams of Pectinex Ultra SP-L into the syrup. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes.
Weigh the filled container and fill each of the other containers with an equal weight of water. Each container in a centrifuge must weigh exactly the same in order to keep the machine in balance. (Off-balance centrifuges are dangerous!)
Run the centrifuge at 4,500 rpm for 12 minutes.
Remove the containers and carefully strain the syrup through a paper coffee filter or Superbag, being careful not to disturb the solids that have collected on the bottom of the container.
If any particles remain in the syrup, strain it again.
Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Clarified Strawberry Syrup

YIELD: ABOUT 16 OUNCES

TECHNIQUE: CENTRIFUGE

Although blended strawberry syrup is delicious on its own, you can take it a step beyond by clarifying it—something that’s especially important if you want to use it in stirred or carbonated cocktails.

250 grams hulled strawberries

250 grams unbleached cane sugar

0.5 gram Pectinex Ultra SP-L

Combine the strawberries and sugar in a blender and process until very smooth. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the Pectinex to the blender and process for 10 seconds. Transfer to a centrifuge container. Weigh the filled container and fill each of the other containers with an equal weight of water. Run the centrifuge at 4,500 rpm for 12 minutes. Remove the containers and carefully strain the syrup through a Superbag or a paper coffee filter, being careful not to disturb the solids that have collected on the bottom of the container. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 week.