Perhaps you’ve seen Demerara syrup in a cocktail recipe floating around Pinterest or Instagram, or maybe this is the first time your eyes have ever read this word. If you’re like me, you have to stare at it for a second and sound it out real slow, syllable by syllable. And in case you ever plan on saying this ingredient out loud, it’s pronounced deh-mer-are-uh. I’m kinda known for mispronouncing words so I make sure I Google things now.

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Thankfully I never said the ingredient orgeat out loud before I learned how to say it correctly. In my head I pronounced it as “or-geet” with a hard G. Turns out it’s pronounced “or-zhjaht”. Or just listen to it here. Now you know why I’m afraid of doing any live videos on my Instagram or Facebook page. 😅

Compared to orgeat, Demerara is a breeze to say. It’s also really fun. Demerara. Oh darling, I just made the most amazing cocktail with Demerara and a dash of rosewater. Feels fancy, right?

And I guess Demerara syrup kind of is fancy. At least in the world of simple syrup. Demerara is a simple syrup made using, you guessed it, Demerara sugar instead of white sugar.

Demerara sugar is large-grain cane sugar that is either unrefined or partially refined so that it still retains some of the molasses. It’s got a delicious toffee flavor and a dark color when it’s melted down into a syrup.

Alternatives for Demerara Sugar

I used turbinado sugar, which is slightly different than Demerara sugar (most turbinado sugar has finer grains and is less sticky) but the Dulce Caña brand at Aldi has large grains and is pretty sticky. I think this brand is a great affordable alternative to true Demerara sugar as it tastes the same. If you want to be authentic though, you can snag this bag of Jamaican Choice Demerara Sugar on Amazon.

You can also use cane sugar or a mixture of half white sugar, half brown sugar. I’ve made the latter and used it in drinks and it was divine.

As I’ve mentioned in my other simple syrup recipe posts, I prefer making small batches of syrup so that I can use it all up before it goes bad. It should keep for about a month in the fridge. When it doubt, toss it and make a new batch. It’s too easy, after all!

Ingredients for Demerara Syrup

• 1/4 cup Demerara Sugar (or 1/8 cup brown, 1/8 cup white sugar)
• 1/4 cup water

How to Make Demerara Syrup

Add the sugar and the water to a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar grains are thoroughly dissolved. Pour into a small container. Allow to cool completely before putting a lid on it and sticking it in the fridge.