Maple syrup as a sub for honey mix?

Hi all. I'm usually too lazy to make Don's honey mix, and it doesn't tend to keep long enough for me.. Lately I've taken to making my Navy Grogs etc. w/ pure maple syrup.

I like it as a substitute, and it seems to have much of the same character, if not the exact same flavor..

Has anyone else tried this? If so, what did you think?

On 2009-09-09 14:04, happy buddha wrote:
Lately I've taken to making my Navy Grogs etc. w/ pure maple syrup.

I like it...

The fact that you like it is enough.

I find Maple Syrup to be too sweet, which sounds weird I know. I guess it is the kind of sweet.... Maple seems to stick to the top of my mouth and crush a bunch of other flavors.

But that's just me.

You do know that you can add vodka or white rum to your honey mix and it will keep longer. If you do the math and can bring the ABV up to about 30 percent it will be shelf stable for about 6 weeks and will keep in the fridge for up to four-ish months.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a Navy Grog made with maple syrup instead of honey mix called a Captain's Grog? I think it's in the Bum's Grog Log.

[ Edited by: CincyTikiCraig 2009-09-09 21:38 ]

Agave syrup or nectar can be a good, shelf stable substitute for honey mix.

I "second" the nomination of using agave nectar/syrup. It dissolves easily in the icy cold of a shaker or mixer.

The Mai Kai uses maple syrup in their Samoan Grog, another variant of the Navy Grog.

what's the best way to make Honey Mix: heat the honey and then mix with water; or heat the honey and the water together? Grog Log (Don's Own Planter's) says the former; Sippin' Safari (page 25) says the latter. Navy Grog recipe (from Grog Log) just says heat honey until liquid - no reference to the "honey mix"

On 2009-09-10 17:21, toofastjim wrote:
what's the best way to make Honey Mix: heat the honey and then mix with water; or heat the honey and the water together? Grog Log (Don's Own Planter's) says the former; Sippin' Safari (page 25) says the latter. Navy Grog recipe (from Grog Log) just says heat honey until liquid - no reference to the "honey mix"

Do you want to make enough for some cocktails? Or a larger batch to bottle?

If your just making enough for one evenings worth of cocktails, add honey and water and microwave for however long it takes your microwave to get them hot enough to stir together. My microwave can do two ounces each of water and honey in 30 seconds. Hot enough to mix well, but not so hot it prematurely melts the ice in the shaker.

If you are batching a bottles worth (more than 12 ounces total) it is easier to add hot water slowly to the honey. Put the kettle on and get your water near boiling. Pour your honey into your container, pour the not-quite boiling water in, cap tightly and shake like hell until it is mixed well. Let cool a bit and your good to go.

Wouldn't it be easier to use liquid honey or Monin honey syrup?

[ Edited by: Trader Magnus 2009-09-11 07:17 ]

I make honey syrup just like simple syrup. 1 to 1 ratio. Boil water, add honey, stir, cool. Just watch it because this mix will boil over very easily! Bottle it and it will be fine for a long time. When a recipe calls for honey, just double the amount of this syrup. This is the way the Mai Kai does it. The only issue I have had was mold forming on the liquid after a long time. After keeping it in the fridge, I have had no problems.

I'm making a new batch tonight. Beats the crap out of the microwave thing and The Bum uses the syrup now as well.

Using maple syrup will have the same problem as straight honey. You may end up with it sticking to your shaker or blender surface instead of mixing well.

On 2009-09-11 08:39, Swanky wrote:
I make honey syrup just like simple syrup. 1 to 1 ratio. Boil water, add honey, stir, cool. Just watch it because this mix will boil over very easily! Bottle it and it will be fine for a long time. When a recipe calls for honey, just double the amount of this syrup. This is the way the Mai Kai does it. The only issue I have had was mold forming on the liquid after a long time. After keeping it in the fridge, I have had no problems.

I'm making a new batch tonight. Beats the crap out of the microwave thing and The Bum uses the syrup now as well.

Using maple syrup will have the same problem as straight honey. You may end up with it sticking to your shaker or blender surface instead of mixing well.

Swanky, if you use a richer mix, like 2:1 honey to water, you will find that the mix won't mold or spoil as easily. It's the same way with simple syrup-a rich 2:1 simple syrup will last on a shelf longer than a 1:1 simple syrup. Here's an excellent thread on syrups for cocktails from egullet:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/115705-not-so-simple-flavored-substitute-syrups/

By using a richer honey (or simple) syrup you will have to add less of the syrup to your drink, and you will be adding less water to your drink as well, yielding a richer cocktail.

Mahalo,

Craig

On 2009-09-11 09:44, CincyTikiCraig wrote:

On 2009-09-11 08:39, Swanky wrote:
I make honey syrup just like simple syrup. 1 to 1 ratio. Boil water, add honey, stir, cool. Just watch it because this mix will boil over very easily! Bottle it and it will be fine for a long time. When a recipe calls for honey, just double the amount of this syrup. This is the way the Mai Kai does it. The only issue I have had was mold forming on the liquid after a long time. After keeping it in the fridge, I have had no problems.

I'm making a new batch tonight. Beats the crap out of the microwave thing and The Bum uses the syrup now as well.

Using maple syrup will have the same problem as straight honey. You may end up with it sticking to your shaker or blender surface instead of mixing well.

Swanky, if you use a richer mix, like 2:1 honey to water, you will find that the mix won't mold or spoil as easily. It's the same way with simple syrup-a rich 2:1 simple syrup will last on a shelf longer than a 1:1 simple syrup. Here's an excellent thread on syrups for cocktails from egullet:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/115705-not-so-simple-flavored-substitute-syrups/

By using a richer honey (or simple) syrup you will have to add less of the syrup to your drink, and you will be adding less water to your drink as well, yielding a richer cocktail.

Mahalo,

Craig

Part of the theory behind the 1 to 1 ratio is I know exactly how to measure it. 1/2 oz of honey in a recipe means 1 oz of my mix. 1/2 oz of water I don't think really matters.

As for simple syrup, I now use inverted sugar instead. The first thing is to add a drop or two of lemon or lime juice when making, and second, simmer the mix for 10 minutes after boiling. Keeps it from precipitating sugar.

My thought is that if you fiddle with how you make simple syrup in terms of ratio, you are a bit guessing when you make recipes from a book.

I keep all my mixes in the fridge now and have not had any issues.

On 2009-09-11 06:51, Trader Magnus wrote:
Wouldn't it be easier to use liquid honey or Monin honey syrup?

Sure!

But what else is in those bottles? If they contain more than just Honey and Water then you are adding stuff to your cocktail that you may not want.

Honey is one of those oddities of the food world... on its own it won't spoil. Ever.

It is, however, very temperature sensitive. Pouring over the ice in your shaker tends to make dense globs of honey that don't mix into the cocktail very well, or at all.

Making a Honey Mix or Honey Syrup is actually a cocktail makers cheat. By adding water to your honey you dilute it enough so that it doesn't gum up over the ice in your shaker or blender. All you have to do is pour your honey in your shaker or blender, add some (or all) of the liquid ingredients and stir, then add your ice and shake or blend.

If your making 900 drinks an hour at a busy bar, that two-step process can really slow you down. If your making a dozen drinks for you and your bar mate(s) for the evening then the extra step doesn't really matter.

What? So what's all the hubbub about Honey Mix?

If you are trying to recreate a drink the way they 'used to do it' then you want to try and use the ingredients the way 'they' did, and that means using a honey mix or honey syrup. Once you have a grasp of the ingredients and why they are there in the amounts they are there then you should be pretty comfortable with working out how much straight honey to use to get the same effect in your glass thereby exempting you from all of this discussion about honey and water ratios and whatever else goes along with it.

The Monin Honey Syrup (as opposed to a lot of their other syrups) is just honey and water. But, making your own is so easy, it's one of those cases that it's worth it.
BTW, if I use pure honey, I find that it works better to dissolve it in the alcohol first (and not the juices).

Ran

The liquid honey I use disolves very quickly in cold water and makes a great honey mix.

(I'm actually using another brand but this was such a cool bottle).

Favorite drink containing honey mix at the moment: Don's Daiquiri.

On 2009-09-11 06:51, Trader Magnus wrote:
Wouldn't it be easier to use liquid honey or Monin honey syrup?

[ Edited by: Trader Magnus 2009-09-11 07:17 ]

I recently got the Monin Honey Sweetner and it works well in drinks like the Don the Beachcomber's Rum Barrell and the Navy Grog. I grabbed a bottle since I grew tired of making honey mix.

I may have an uneducated palette but Navy grog, captains grog? Given the choice I'd go with maple. But, if may old father tales are true of his Navy days. What really mattered was the alcohol :0

Dave