Collins Brown Simple Syru

Brown simple syrup is a liquid sweetener made from brown sugar rather than refined white sugar. Esplanda's Collins Brown Simple Syrup is a bar-mixing syrup, not a spirit. Expect a deeper amber color and a faint caramel and molasses note, which white simple syrup doesn't have. Exact sugar type, ratio and sweetness level aren't listed here, so check the label for those. Syrups in this style usually run richer and rounder than plain sugar water, and a little goes a long way. Its best use is in drinks where a spirit's own flavor benefits from a warmer sweetener. In an Old Fashioned, a small measure of brown syrup in place of a sugar cube gives a cleaner, faster mix and adds toffee notes that suit bourbon, rye or aged rum. It also works in a Dark and Stormy, a rum sour, a Hot Toddy, or an aged-tequila Old Fashioned. Because the name references the Collins, it should also work in a Tom Collins-style build. Swap it for white syrup in a long drink of spirit, lemon juice and soda to get a slightly deeper, spiced-leaning finish. Start with about a quarter to half an ounce per drink, taste, then adjust, since brown syrups can read sweeter or more assertive than white ones. Outside cocktails, brown simple syrup suits iced coffee, black or chai tea, and homemade sodas. It also works drizzled over fruit or stirred into non-alcoholic mocktails, where its caramel character stands in for the depth that a spirit would normally provide. It dissolves instantly in cold liquids, which is the main reason bartenders keep it over granulated sugar. For serving, build spirit-forward drinks in a double rocks glass over one large ice cube to keep dilution slow. Collins-style drinks belong in a tall highball or Collins glass with plenty of ice. Keep the bottle refrigerated after opening unless the label says otherwise, and shake it lightly before pouring if any settling occurs.