Make Your Own Easy Honey Syrup for Tantalizing Cocktails

Honey syrup makes a delicious substitution for classic simple syrup in your cocktails, and it comes together in just a few minutes!

So many cocktail recipes call for simple syrup, but if your drink needs a little more flavor than white sugar can give you can make some honey syrup instead.

How to make honey syrup

Add equal parts honey and water to a small saucepan and place it on the stove over medium-low heat. Stir gently and remove from the stove as soon as all the honey is dissolved. Simple as that.

Let the syrup cool to room temperature before pouring into a glass bottle and using in your cocktails!

There is no need to boil or reduce the syrup, as soon as the honey is dissolved it's ready to go. 

How long will honey syrup last?

Just like regular simple syrup, honey syrup will last up to a month if refrigerated in a clean airtight container.

I prefer to store syrups in glass bottles because they are easy to clean and don't pick up the flavors of what was stored in them last. Be sure that they are super clean and well rinsed, you can even rinse them with a little bit of high proof vodka or Everclear.

is honey syrup the same thing as honey?

It is not. Honey syrup is made by thinning out the honey with water for using in cocktails, coffee, or in place of simple syrup. Regular honey is much thicker and can be difficult to pour or measure.

Can you use honey in place of simple syrup?

You sure can, but you will want to make a honey syrup first (by adding water) so that your honey is smooth and pourable and will dissolve nicely in your cocktails. 

Honey simple syrup variations

The most obvious way to make different honey syrups is by using different varieties of honey.

If you've ever sampled the different types of honey from the stand at your local farmers market you know how unique honey can taste. The flowers available to the bees will determine the end product and how the drinks your make with your syrup taste.

honey ginger syrup

Add the honey and water along with 1/3 cup of cleaned and sliced ginger root to a small saucepan. Cover and heat on low for 30 minutes (without boiling) before letting cool to room temperature and straining into a storage bottle.

lavendar honey syrup

To make a lavender version add 2 teaspoons of dried lavender flowers to the saucepan before heating on low heat with a lid for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the syrup sit covered to infuse until it reaches room temperature.

Lavender honey syrup is especially good in tea and iced coffee, but also try using it in a Bee's Knees.

Honey syrup cocktails

There are several well know cocktail recipes that call for honey syrup directly, but you can substitute it in for simple syrup in just about any drink you'd like.

Whiskey and gin go great with honey but don't let me stop your new syrup in anything you want. Here are a few classics with honey syrup to use as a starting point: 

• Bee's Knees: gin, honey and lemon (or the spicy Bee Sting)
• Penicillin: a modern classic with scotch and ginger
• Gold Rush: a honey version of a whiskey sour
• Air Mail: like a sparkling Daiquiri with honey
• Three Dots and a Dash: a complex and fruity tiki drink

Try making your next cocktail that calls for simple syrup with honey instead and see how it tastes!