Simple syrup calculator
Make 1:1, rich 2:1 or custom simple syrup by weight or volume. Enter the sugar or water you have, or the amount of syrup you need. See the finished yield, Brix, density and cost per liter.
How yield and cost are worked out
The same 1:1 gives a different syrup on a scale and in a cup.
Worked example: the Marlowe's demerara syrup
| Demerara sugar, $4.80 for a 2 kg bag | 1,000 g · $2.40 |
|---|---|
| Water | 500 ml · $0.00 |
| Brix, 1,000 ÷ 1,500 | 66.7 °Bx |
| Density | 1.329 g/ml |
| 1,500 g ÷ 1.329 g/ml | 1,129 ml · $2.13 a liter |
The Marlowe's team measured the batch at 1.12 liters and declared that as its yield, which puts the syrup at $2.14 a liter in its House Old Fashioned batch. The calculator treats demerara as plain sucrose. To scale the batch, set the calculator to 2:1 at $2.40 a kg.
How much simple syrup does 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water make?
About 1½ cups: 362 ml, or 12.2 fl oz, at 45.8 °Bx. The sugar adds 200 g but only about 125 ml to the cup of water, because dissolved sugar takes up less room than it does in the cup. By weight, 1 kg of sugar in 1 liter of water makes about 1.63 liters.
A 2:1 carries 1.44 times the sugar of a 1:1 in every milliliter, so changing the house syrup between 1:1 and 2:1 means re-speccing every drink that uses it. On a refractometer whose scale reaches it, a 1:1 by weight reads 50 °Bx and a 2:1 reads 66.7 °Bx.
Sources: specific gravity of sugar solutions by Brix, the polynomial on Vinolab's gravity, density and sugar conversions (VinoCalc, Jonathan Musther), which matches the US National Bureau of Standards value of 1.17874 at 40 °Bx quoted on Wikipedia's Brix article to within 0.01%; Brix definition, the same article; a cup of granulated sugar, 200 g, USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy 169655). Prices: the Marlowe, a sample bar.
- Sarah Dawn MarsWrote this · Head of customer success and community
Sarah co-founded and ran Teresa Cocktail Bar, a Tales of the Cocktail nominee. She was also the first customer success hire at Loaded and now builds Overproof.
Simple syrup ratios chart
The two common ratios, mixed by weight and by the cup: the Brix each reads, its density, and how much syrup a kilo of sugar makes.
Scroll sideways for all five columns.
| Ratio | Brix | Density | Sugar per ml | Syrup from 1 kg sugar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:1 by weight | 50.0 °Bx | 1.230 g/ml | 0.615 g | 1,626 ml |
| 2:1 by weight, rich | 66.7 °Bx | 1.329 g/ml | 0.886 g | 1,129 ml |
| 1:1 by volume | 45.8 °Bx | 1.207 g/ml | 0.553 g | 1,808 ml |
| 2:1 by volume, rich | 62.8 °Bx | 1.305 g/ml | 0.820 g | 1,219 ml |
By volume assumes USDA's 200 g for a US cup of granulated sugar. A packed cup weighs more and makes a sweeter syrup, so weigh a level cup of yours and type it under More options, or work by weight.
Simple syrup questions
Should simple syrup be 1:1 or 2:1?
Either, as long as every spec is written for the one you make; 2:1 puts the same sugar in less volume and keeps longer.
Should I heat simple syrup?
Only enough to dissolve the sugar, since boiling drives off water and leaves the syrup richer and smaller than the calculator says.
How long does simple syrup keep?
Date the bottle, keep it cold and covered, and follow the storage limits for 1:1 and 2:1, which differ.
Can I make a syrup richer than 2:1?
Above roughly 67 °Bx, sugar may not stay dissolved at room temperature and can crystallize in the bottle. The calculator warns you past that point.
Every house syrup in the cost of the drink
In Jery a syrup is a pre-batch with its own recipe and yield. Change the sugar price on an invoice and the syrup, and every drink that uses it, re-costs. The prep plan tells the team how many batches to make for the weekend.
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Cost every syrup into every drink
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