Post #529216 by congawa on Mon, May 10, 2010 2:22 PM

I just made ginger syrup yesterday, and per the Bum's directions he instructs putting the 1:1 sugar:water and the sliced ginger all in a pan and then bringing it all to a boil, at which you reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. So it would seem that the boiling is okay--just not for a length of time.

Personally, after making regular simple syrup a number of times, which--no matter how much care I take--results in a messy, sugary stove and countertop, then a syrup in the fridge I end up having to throw away in a few weeks after only using part of it (wasting a good part of a cup of sugar) I have found it much easier just to buy a bottle of Stirrings sugar syrup for $4.99 which keeps in the fridge (with preservatives) as long as I need it. I'm only making my own specialized syrups, i.e. cinnamon, ginger, etc.

By the way, I have heard of people adding a little rum/vodka/etc to syrup to make it preserve longer. However, how much alcohol can you add to, say, 2 cups of simple syrup before it stops becoming a syrup and instead becomes a failed liqueur?

Brent