Honey Simple Syrup, Three Ways: Classic, Ginger, and Rosemary
The Sweetener Every Drink Needs
Straight honey is thick, and it tends to sink and clump when you stir it into a cold drink. Honey simple syrup fixes that. Thinned with a little warm water, it pours easily and mixes right into iced tea, lemonade, iced coffee, and mocktails.
It also takes about two minutes to make. Once you have the classic version down, the ginger and rosemary versions add a little something extra with almost no extra work.
We make ours with our raw, lightly strained honey from our hives. The trick to keeping that raw honey character is simple: never boil the honey. Heat the water, let it cool to warm, then stir the honey in.
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Honey Simple Syrup, Three Ways
A pourable honey sweetener for cold and hot drinks.
| Prep5 min | Steep0–15 min | Total5–25 min | YieldAbout 1 cup |
Classic Honey Syrup
- 1/2 cup raw honey (we use our Beeholden Farms raw honey)
- 1/2 cup warm water (hot from the kettle, then cooled for a couple of minutes)
- Pour the warm water into a clean jar.
- Add the honey and stir until it's completely dissolved.
- Let it cool, seal, and refrigerate.
Ginger Honey Syrup
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 3/4 cup water
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced (no need to peel)
- Simmer the water and ginger in a small saucepan for 10 minutes.
- Take it off the heat, strain out the ginger, and let the liquid cool until it's warm but not hot.
- Stir in the honey until dissolved. Cool, seal, and refrigerate.
Rosemary Honey Syrup
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Bring the water to a boil, pour it over the rosemary in a heatproof jar, and steep for 15 minutes.
- Remove the rosemary. When the water is warm (not hot), stir in the honey.
- Cool, seal, and refrigerate.
Equipment: a fine-mesh strainer and glass syrup bottles for easy pouring.
Recipe notes: Because this syrup is diluted with water, it isn't shelf-stable like straight honey. Keep it in the fridge and use it within 2 weeks. For a richer syrup that's better for cocktails and coffee, use 2 parts honey to 1 part water.
Ways to Use It
- Iced tea and lemonade: start with 1 to 2 tablespoons per glass and adjust. It's what we use in our blueberry lemon iced tea.
- Iced coffee: the classic or ginger version is great in cold brew. A cold brew pitcher makes a week's worth at once.
- Mocktails and cocktails: use it anywhere a recipe calls for simple syrup, one for one. For special occasions, see our honey-rimmed bubbly.
- Fruit salad: toss berries or stone fruit with a spoonful of rosemary syrup.
- Oatmeal and yogurt: a drizzle of ginger syrup is a nice change from plain honey.
- Something warm: on chilly days, we skip the syrup and make a honey lemon ginger tonic or a batch of honey chai.
Storage and Safety Tips
- Refrigerate it. Keep syrup in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Toss it if it looks cloudy or smells off.
- Don't boil the honey. Heat the water or herbs first, then add honey once the liquid is warm.
- Not for babies. Honey in any form should never be given to children under 12 months old.
Stock Up for Drink Season
Every drink you make with this syrup will taste a little like the season our bees gathered it in. That's one of the best parts of cooking with small-batch raw honey.
Ready to make a batch? Shop our raw honey here. Local to Fremont? Pickup is free, and we offer free local delivery to the 94536 zip code on orders of $35 or more.
If your jar of honey has gone solid, don't worry. Read why raw honey crystallizes (and why that's a good thing).
