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Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
26th June 2024 at 16:17
Embury does call for a 3:1 syrup, but that is not three times as sweet as a 1:1 syrup. For example, if a recipe states 10ml (1/3oz) of 2:1 rich sugar syrup, then the equivalent in 1:1 simple syrup is just 15ml (½oz), not 20ml, as you might expect. I have experimented with Embury’s 3:1 syrup, and it is too thick to pour out of a measure without leaving an unknown percentage in the jigger. It also tends to crystallise.
James Brooke’s Avatar James Brooke
21st September 2024 at 11:04
Thanks, Simon. I've been thinking long and hard about this. My understanding is that 2:1 is 33% sweeter than 1:1 and 3:1 is 50% sweeter than 1:1, so you need a third less 2:1 than 1:1, hence 15ml of 1:1 is the same amount of sweetness as 10ml of 2:1.
If I understand this correctly, it means that when Embury calls for 1 part of his 3:1 simple syrup, ignoring the increased dilution, one needs to use 15ml of 1:1 simple syrup or 10ml of 2:1 or 7.5ml of 3:1. Is that correct?
If so, then Embury's classic 8 parts, 2 parts, 1 part (using his 3:1) would be 8, 2, 2 using 1:1, or 8, 2, 1.33 using 2:1.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
21st September 2024 at 11:26
I agree. The logic and formula look correct. My experiments with 3:2 syrup have shown how unpractical it is. It tends to crystalise and is so thick that measuring accurately is near impossible.