Once a ubiquitous ingredient and necessary component of any serious cocktail bar, raspberry syrup appears over and over in some of the most influential historic cocktail books. It’s a flavorful and easy syrup to make at home in less than thirty minutes. Keeping a bottle in your fridge opens up a world of beverage possibilities, including the classic Clover Club (once among the most famous cocktails in the country) and Hugo Ensslin’s Applejack Fix (a drink that never achieved the same status in popular culture, but maybe should have). Raspberry syrup is great with mezcal, but it’s also terrific for soda fountain-style treats and nonalcoholic quenchers like our favorite pitcher of raspberry lemonade.
If you’re feeling experimental, raspberry syrup can be subbed for nearly any syrup in any drink with a little mindfulness of sugar content: The recipe we prefer is a rich syrup, meaning two parts sugar to one part water, so when replacing a traditional simple (one-to-one) syrup, you’ll need only half the amount.
When making raspberry syrup, it’s best to cook at around 160 degrees for the duration of seven minutes. Raspberries have a fair amount of pectin, and as heat increases, more bonds will form, increasing viscosity until the setting point of 220 degrees when you’ve accidentally made raspberry jam instead—still delicious but not ideal for a cocktail. You can opt to add a few drops (.2% of total volume) of Pectinex SP-L enzyme after the five minutes of cooling to keep your syrup pouring quick.
If fresh, in-season raspberries aren’t available, you can substitute frozen berries—just add two minutes to the cook time.