Building Flavor Into Coffee with Infused Simple Syrups

A simple syrup is a straightforward way to add a personal touch to a latte, a cappuccino, or frankly just about any coffee beverage. The cocktail world relies on it in drinks ranging from the French 75 to the Margarita, and its base is only sugar and water blended together—which makes it a blank canvas. It also holds for at least a month in the refrigerator, a useful quality when you are testing ideas or making coffee drinks in batches.

An ingredient used widely in the cocktail world, from the French 75 to the Margarita, simple syrup is like a blank slate.

The creative part comes when you consider what can be steeped into it. Fruits, berries, herbs, roots, spices, and other syrups, spirits, or liqueurs can go in, in any combination. The Rosemary Iced Breve at Benetti’s Coffee Experience in Raytown, Missouri, is one of my favorite coffee drinks of all time. No secrets are being revealed here, because the drink’s elements come together through Benetti’s distinctive espresso preparation; at its core it is an iced breve latte with rosemary simple syrup mixed in.

A flavored simple syrup is also a convenient way to appeal to seasonal tastes. In fall and winter, an ordinary latte can turn into a festive, warming drink that offers comfort much like a hot toddy. Recipes of this kind are explored in “Creating the Winter Café” on our website, which notes that creatively infused syrups form the backbone of many seasonal specialty drinks. Which spices and herbs do you link to the cold months? Ginger root and black peppercorn? Cinnamon bark, tamarind, nutmeg? Let your imagination run, whether with less obvious combinations or with inspiration borrowed from other seasons—fresh mint, marionberry, lime zest, tarragon, cucumber—go ahead and try them all! Consider local botanicals, fruit from your own backyard, or baby ginger from distant places. Below is a basic recipe that you can adjust however you like:

Basic Simple Syrup

1 part water 1 part sugar (And kind: super fine, regular white, brown, demerara, coconut palm sugar.) Any flavor additions. Proportions for these vary—for an herb like rosemary, try four sprigs to one cup water and one cup sugar, then alter in subsequent versions based on strength. For the same amounts of water and sugar, try three sticks of cinnamon, three plump apricots, three cracked green cardamom pods, or half a lemon plus zest. Obviously these are simply to give you a springboard to experimentation. (Note: For a richer simple syrup, use two parts sugar to one part water, or experiment with other proportions.)

Do this one of two ways: Either put the sugar and water in a jar together and shake it until the sugar dissolves, or put both in a saucepan and heat slowly until the sugar dissolves completely.

Keep in mind that infusion will happen more quickly if you use the stovetop method. Steep your additions until the flavor is as strong as you like, then remove. That’s all! If you use the cold-steeping method, you’ll need to macerate the add-ins and prepare to be patient.