Cocktails with Demerara Syrup

Demerara syrup can be used in pretty much any cocktail with a brown liquor, specially cocktails with sugar and molasses based rums. Vintage Tiki drinks have plenty of recipes that might just used a hint of the particular molasses and raw sugary notes that demerara syrup might bring to the drink. Zombies, Demerara´s Dry Floats and Coffee Grogs might be just a few samples. Chekc this drinks out and let me know how much better you like them with Demerara Syrup.
 
French Martini

• 50ml Vodka
• 25ml Pineapple Juice
• 10ml Chambord*
• 5ml Demerara Syrup

Shake with Ice, and then strain into a Martini Glass. Garnish with a Raspberry, or a lemon twist, either one will float in the centre of the drink

* Chambord is a Raspberry heavy liquor, that can be homemade. For directions on how to make it, keep posted to my next week blog post.

Demerara Cocktail

• 2 oz Demerara Rum or Raw Sugar Cane based Rum**
• 1 oz Puerto Rican Rum (white/gold/dark your choice=***
• 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• ½ oz Passion Fruit Juice/Nectar
• 1 Splash Demerara Syrup

Shake, serve straight up on a rocks glass.

The Demerara Cocktail is a nice simple drink that incorporates your standard sweet and sour rum combination, but adds a little Passion fruit Juice to give it an exotic twist. For the most part the Demerara rum comes through with the lime and just a hint of the passion fruit juice.

**   Demerara rums procedence is South American island of Guyana. El Dorado Rum might be the best-know demerara brand (a rising start spirit in the 1990´s, with a solid product with great notes and taste) but other relatively know brand in the international market is Lemonhart 151-proof Demerara Rum.

*** Puerto Rican rums are triple distilled and aged in Charred American white oak barrels. Their brand leader is Bacardi Rum, follow by other relatively well-know brands such as Don Q, Ron del Barrilito, Palo viejo, and Ron Llave.

Queen's Park Swizzle

• 3oz Demerara Rum
• 3/4 oz lime juice
• 1/2 oz demerara syrup
• 3 dashes of Angostura Bitters
• Fresh mint for garnish

Add ingredients into a collins glass along with crushed ice and swizzle with a bar spoon until the glass is frosted over. Garnish with fresh mint.

Demerara Dry Float

• 1 1/2 oz Demerara rum
• 1/4 oz 151 Demerara rum
• 2 1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 1/3 ounces passion fruit syrup
• 1/3 ounce demerara syrup
• 1/4 ounce Maraschino liqueur 

Shake everything except the 151 rum with ice, strain into double old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice, and carefully float the 151. Do not stir.

Demerara Syrup Recipe

English fellows have a particular affinity to foreign tastes. Demerara Syrup is just another classic example. Made from rich raw brown caribbean sugar, this syrup is great to be used as a replacement for simple syrup in many recipes. The reason for this is, that this unrefined sugar adds on a richer flavor to the syrup, although its caramel color might alter the final appearance, its great flavor makes up for it.

Demerara Syrup Recipe

• 2 parts Demerara Sugar or Raw Brown Sugar
• 1 part distilled water

Medium heat until sugar dissolves. Chill and bottle. To avoid mold, add on a tablespoon or two of high-proof vodka.

This syrup will make a fantastic addition or replacement for some great drinks, with sugar cane based spirits.