Simple
Syrup (sugar water)
Simple syrup, also known as sugar water, is the base for all flavors in
any snow cone or shaved ice business. Simple
syrup and flavor
concentrates are combined to create each bottle of ready-to-use syrup.
To make one gallon of simple syrup, simply dissolve five pounds of sugar
into 2 ½ quarts of warm or hot water. Please
note that you do not have to use boiling water. Stir
or shake container until all sugar is dissolved. To preserve a gallon of simple
syrup, add 1 ounce of Sodium
Benzoate and ¼ ounce of Citric
Acid. Let syrup cool to room
temperature before mixing with flavor concentrates.
Mixing large quantities of simple syrup can be easily performed with the
use of a mixing paddle
and a mixing
container. These containers come
in 10, 20
or 32 gallon mixing
containers that contain a bottling spigot and lid.
To mix large quantities simply add the desired
amount of warm or hot water to the mixing container. Please note that boiling water is not necessary however the hotter the
water, the easier it will be to dissolve the sugar. Next,
slowly add the correct amount of sugar while stirring with the mixing paddle. Stir thoroughly to ensure that all sugar is dissolved. Below is a chart that provides the correct recipes for batches of simple
syrup.
Simple Syrup Recipe
Chart
|
Amt
of Syrup
|
Water
Needed (warm or hot)
|
Lbs
of Sugar
|
Sodium
Benzoate
|
Citric
Acid
|
|
1
gallon
|
2
quarts, 16 oz
|
5
|
1
oz
|
.25
oz
|
|
5
gallons
|
3
gallons, 16 oz
|
25
|
5
oz
|
1.25
oz
|
|
10
gallons
|
6
gallons, 32 oz
|
50
|
10
oz
|
2.5
oz
|
|
15
gallons
|
9
gallons, 48 oz
|
75
|
15
oz
|
3.75
oz
|
|
20
gallons
|
12
gallons, 64 oz
|
100
|
20
oz
|
5
oz
|
|
25
gallons
|
15
gallons, 80 oz
|
125
|
25
oz
|
6.25
oz
|
|
30
gallons
|
18
gallons, 96 oz
|
150
|
30
oz
|
7.5
oz
|
Preservatives, such as sodium benzoate and citric acid should be added to
the simple syrup batch in order to increase the shelf life.
Unpreserved simple syrup will have a shelf life of only 7 to 14 days. Adding the correct amounts of sodium benzoate and citric acid to your
syrup can extend the shelf life for around six months.
