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A swing-top bottle of golden honey syrup beside a jar of runny honey with a wooden dipper on an oak worktop

Honey Syrup (with an Agave Version)

A two-ingredient, refined-sugar-free honey syrup for cocktails and mocktails, with a vegan agave version. Stirs straight into cold drinks.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 250 ml
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: British
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 150 ml water
  • 150 g runny honey (raw or set honey also work; buy organic if you prefer). Vegan swap: 150 g agave syrup

Equipment

  • Kettle and heatproof measuring jug
  • Teaspoon or small whisk
  • Clean glass bottle or jar with a lid (about 250–300 ml)
  • Small funnel set

Method
 

  1. Boil the kettle, measure 150 ml of the hot water into a heatproof jug and leave it to cool for 3–4 minutes, so it's hot but no longer boiling.
  2. Add the honey (or agave) and stir until it has completely dissolved and the syrup looks even, with no thick layer at the bottom of the jug.
  3. Use a funnel to pour it into a clean bottle or jar. Cool completely, seal and refrigerate.

Notes

Ratio: this is a 1:1 honey syrup (150 g honey to 150 ml water). For a rich 2:1 syrup, use 150 g honey to 75 ml water; you'll need a little less per drink.
Why dilute honey at all? Straight honey seizes into a sticky lump in cold drinks. Thinned with warm water, it pours and mixes in seconds.
Storage: keep in a clean, sealed bottle in the fridge. Honey and agave syrups diluted with water may not keep as long as classic sugar syrups, so make small batches and use them up quickly. Discard if cloudy, fizzy, sour-smelling or mouldy.
Honey is not suitable for babies under 12 months. Use the agave swap for a vegan syrup.
Total time doesn't include cooling.