Jalapeño Infused Simple Syrup
This Jalapeño Infused Simple Syrup is the perfect flavor infusion to have on hand for all of your sweet and spicy beverage recipe needs. One fresh jalapeño is all it takes to pack plenty of feisty flavor into this DIY simple syrup.
Who’s ready for a round of spicy margaritas? With this jalapeño-infused simple syrup recipe, you’ll be slinging all your favorite jalapeño simple syrup cocktails and mocktails like the professionals.
At its core, simple syrup is sugar dissolved in water to make a liquid sweetener for coffee, tea, mixed drinks, baked goods, and so much more. However, in this simple syrup recipe, sweet meets heat. You’ll toss a fresh jalapeño into the mix to infuse your syrup with fiery flavor.
You’re going to love jalapeño infused simple syrup because…
- A splash is all it takes to add hot peppery spice to margaritas, lemonades, smoothies, jalapeno limades, etc.
- You can adjust the spice level from mild to blazing hot.
- Mix spicy craft cocktails from home.
Ready to learn how to make jalapeño simple syrup from scratch? Let’s do it!
🌶️ Ingredients
A few things to note about what you’ll need:
- Water – For the freshest flavor and to avoid bacteria growth, use distilled water or filtered water.
- Sugar – Typically, bar syrups are made with granulated sugar, but feel free to use raw sugar or cane sugar.
- Jalapeno – You know your heat tolerance better than anyone. Use more or less of the spine and seeds to adjust the spiciness.
📖 How to make (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Slice jalapeño
With a sharp knife, carefully cut off the jalapeño stem and slice the jalapeño into quarters. If you can handle the extra heat, leave the inner membrane and seeds be. For a milder syrup, scoop out the membrane and seeds before starting your infusion.
2️⃣ Step Two: Infuse simple syrup
Add the water, sugar, and jalapeño pieces to a small saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and simmer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens into a syrup (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat. Remove the jalapeño pieces from the syrup and discard.
3️⃣ Step Three: Cool and store
Let the syrup cool completely to room temperature before straining into a sterilized glass jar and storing it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
❔Questions + quick tips
- Adjusting the heat – Most of the spicy hot flavor is packed in the seeds and spine. Leave them intact if you like things super spicy, or remove them for a milder flavor. You can also leave the peppers in the simple syrup as it cools to infuse more heat.
- Pepper variations – Another way to turn up the heat is by using a different hot pepper like serrano peppers or habanero peppers. Use anything hotter at your own risk!
- Using it to rim glasses – Add a salt or sugar rim to your serving glasses by dipping the edge of the glass in the sticky syrup and then in salt or sugar.
It’s best to use fresh jalapeno peppers to make spicy simple syrup. Pickled jalapenos have a distinct pickled taste that doesn’t mesh well with simple syrup.
Absolutely. Swap the sugar for honey to make simple syrup without any refined sugar. You can also use coconut sugar, agave, or date sugar.
🍹How to serve
Check out the list below for delicious jalapeño simple syrup cocktail ideas:
- Spicy Margarita – Add 1.5 ounces of tequila, 0.5 ounces of orange liqueur or orange simple syrup, 0.5 ounces of jalapeno syrup, and the juice from 2 limes and 1 lemon to a cocktail shaker with a scoop of ice. Shake well and then strain into a tall glave of fresh ice.
- Spicy Paloma – Add 2 ounces of tequila, 0.5 ounces of jalapeno syrup, and the juice from half of a grapefruit to a cocktail shaker. Shake well and then strain into a rocks glave over fresh ice.
- Mexican Mule – Fill a copper mule mug with ice and add 1.5 ounces of tequila and 0.5 ounces of jalapeno syrup. Top the mug off with ginger beer, gently stir and serve.
🧊 How to store
Simple syrup infusions make great gifts because they store well in the fridge and freezer.
Refrigerator storage: After cooling to room temperature, pour the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a sterilized glass jar or bottle. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Freezer storage: Imagine using frozen jalapeno syrup cubes to chill your spicy drinks. YUM. To store simple syrup properly in the freezer, check out our freezing simple syrup guide.
👉 More simple syrup infusions
Looking for more homemade infused simple syrups?
- Blueberry Simple Syrup
- Sage-infused Simple Syrup
- Honey Lavender Simple Syrup
- Lemon Ginger Simple Syrup
- Cilantro Lime Simple Syrup
Jalapeño-Infused Simple Syrup
Equipment
- 1 Small Saucepan
- 1 fine-mesh strainer
- 1 jar with a tight fitting lid
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 medium jalapeño
Instructions
- First, cut away the stem from the jalapeño, and then slice it into quarters. If you like a lot of spice, leave the seeds intact, but for a milder syrup scoop out the seeds.
- Add the water, sugar, and jalapeño pieces to a small saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and simmer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens into a syrup (about 5 minutes). Remove from the heat. Remove the jalapeño pieces from the syrup and discard.
- Let the syrup cool completely to room temperature.
- Then, strain the syrup into a glass jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
