Friday, October 17, 2014

Getting Those Syrups Juuuuust Right

I first came across Brix meters (refractometers) while listening to a Nicolas de Soto interview with The Speakeasy on Heritage Radio.  Basically, this device measures the amount of light refracted in a liquid.  What this means for culinary purposes is that one can determine the amount of sugar present in a liquid. 
This is great if you make different types of syrups and want to keep the sugar levels consistent across them all.
I prefer a 2:1 simple syrup (rich simple syrup), as opposed to the standard 1:1, because I can use less, it has a richer texture, and it adds less water to the cocktail.  So using that as my reference point, I can use the refractometer to adjust other syrups I make to have the same level of sugar as a standard rich simple syrup.  This allows for a more consistent level of sweetness across cocktails with different types of syrups.

Cheers!

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