I'm a cooking newbie so need some help with some simple instructions.

I'm currently trying my hand at making tropical drinks. One ingratiate
that many drinks have is gomme/sugar syrup.

I have a book with tropical drink recipes and it includes instructions
on making my own sugar syrup.

I need help with the instructions. Here they a

1. Gradually stir 2 cups of granulated sugar into
1 cup of boiling water in a saucepan.

2. Bring to the boil and simmer.

3. Skim it, leave to cool, and pour into small, clean bottles.

4. Store in a dark cupboard.


Ok, I know how to bring water to a boil (when it all bubbles) but what
does it mean to simmer and then skim it? After it boils then how do I go
about simmering it and skimming it?

Also, do stores even sell gomme syrup for drinks?

Is there a better way to make this syrup?

Thanks for the info and help!

Von Fourche wrote:

[...]

> Ok, I know how to bring water to a boil (when it all bubbles) but what
> does it mean to simmer and then skim it? After it boils then how do I go
> about simmering it and skimming it?

Simmer is just a very low boil. So you stir in your sugar when it's
fully boiling, and then lower the heat so you have smaller and much less
energetic bubbles. As for skimming it, there's probably a thin film of
crystallized sugar on the top. Use a big cooking spoon to remove it.

> Also, do stores even sell gomme syrup for drinks?
>
> Is there a better way to make this syrup?
>
> Thanks for the info and help!

Don't sweat the details. Boiling water and sugar doesn't need to be
perfect. For liqueurs, I simply put the sugar and water in a sauce pan
and turn on the heat. The water won't truly boil until all the sugar
has dissolved. When it's boiling (and clear), I turn off the heat, let
it cool, and use it. No simmering, no skimming. Your thin film is just
sugar, so (a) it will re-form every time your syrup is exposed to air,
and (b) it'll dissolve happily into whatever you mix it with.

I've never run into the word gomme before, though. Just "Simply syrup".
You can also go 1-to-1 sugar to water for some other recipes.

Gunther Anderson

"Gunther Anderson" > wrote in message
...
> Von Fourche wrote:
>
> [...]
>
> > Ok, I know how to bring water to a boil (when it all bubbles) but
what
> > does it mean to simmer and then skim it? After it boils then how do I
go
> > about simmering it and skimming it?
>
> Simmer is just a very low boil. So you stir in your sugar when it's
> fully boiling, and then lower the heat so you have smaller and much less
> energetic bubbles. As for skimming it, there's probably a thin film of
> crystallized sugar on the top. Use a big cooking spoon to remove it.
>
> > Also, do stores even sell gomme syrup for drinks?
> >
> > Is there a better way to make this syrup?
> >
> > Thanks for the info and help!
>
> Don't sweat the details. Boiling water and sugar doesn't need to be
> perfect. For liqueurs, I simply put the sugar and water in a sauce pan
> and turn on the heat. The water won't truly boil until all the sugar
> has dissolved. When it's boiling (and clear), I turn off the heat, let
> it cool, and use it. No simmering, no skimming. Your thin film is just
> sugar, so (a) it will re-form every time your syrup is exposed to air,
> and (b) it'll dissolve happily into whatever you mix it with.
>
> I've never run into the word gomme before, though. Just "Simply syrup".
> You can also go 1-to-1 sugar to water for some other recipes.
>
> Gunther Anderson



Thanks for the info!

Another question - how important is it to use fresh squeezed lime
compared to lime in a bottle like a bottle of "Real Lime" found in grocery
stores? Will the lime taste the same in a tropical drink?

Von Fourche wrote:
>
> Thanks for the info!
>
> Another question - how important is it to use fresh squeezed lime
> compared to lime in a bottle like a bottle of "Real Lime" found in grocery
> stores? Will the lime taste the same in a tropical drink?

I doubt it will taste the same, but whether it doesn't taste as good is
entirely your decision. The best I can say is, try it. I'm not a
bar-tender, just a liqueur maker. I can tell you how to make stuff, but
I really don't have much to say about what to do with it once you've
made it.

Gunther Anderson

"Gunther Anderson" > wrote in message
...
> Von Fourche wrote:
> >
> > Thanks for the info!
> >
> > Another question - how important is it to use fresh squeezed lime
> > compared to lime in a bottle like a bottle of "Real Lime" found in
grocery
> > stores? Will the lime taste the same in a tropical drink?
>
> I doubt it will taste the same, but whether it doesn't taste as good is
> entirely your decision. The best I can say is, try it. I'm not a
> bar-tender, just a liqueur maker. I can tell you how to make stuff, but
> I really don't have much to say about what to do with it once you've
> made it.




I'm just wondering if you can make drinkable and enjoyable drinks using
bottled lime or is it basically a big no no. I might as well buy a lime
squeezer and squeeze my own limes since they are so cheap to begin with.

Another question - some drinks call for a dash or two of something, like
grenadine. How do you measure a dash?

I might try my hand at a tequila sunrise this weekend. The instructions
I have say:

1. 1/23oz tequila
2. 5oz fresh orange juice
3. 2 dash of grenadine

I have the tequila and grenadine. I thought I would just buy orange
juice in a carton or gallon to use since I'm a newbie to mixing drinks.

Von Fourche wrote:

> I'm just wondering if you can make drinkable and enjoyable drinks using
> bottled lime or is it basically a big no no. I might as well buy a lime
> squeezer and squeeze my own limes since they are so cheap to begin with.

Sure you can use bottled juice in drinks. It won't ruin it. You might
not even be able to tell the difference. If you're a professional
bartender, customers like to see a real lime in their drinks, but they
can't tell the difference. Especially by the third one...

> Another question - some drinks call for a dash or two of something, like
> grenadine. How do you measure a dash?

Somebody standardized a dash to be 1/8 of a teaspoon, but I think you're
going overboard here. There is no such thing as a perfect drink recipe.
In all cases, you should mentally add "adjust to taste" after every
ingredient and every step. In a real-world drink recipe, a dash of some
fluid is a splash oof it, just enough to make a minor contribution, but
not enough to change the overall flavor. Splash a little in your drink,
and the next trime, try a larger or smaller splash. Eventually you'll
get it just right, to your taste.

> I might try my hand at a tequila sunrise this weekend. The instructions
> I have say:
>
> 1. 1/23oz tequila
> 2. 5oz fresh orange juice
> 3. 2 dash of grenadine
>
> I have the tequila and grenadine. I thought I would just buy orange
> juice in a carton or gallon to use since I'm a newbie to mixing drinks.

I sure hope that's not 1/23 of an ounce - that's not much tequila...
But yeah, fixating on specific kinds of orange juce (fresh versus
carton, navel versus tangelo, Florida versus California) is such a minor
consideration. You'll be find using Tropicana OJ, and just a splash or
two of grenadine. My best advice is practice and experimentation. At
the very least, you get to drink all your failures...

Gunther Anderson

"Gunther Anderson" > wrote in message
...
> Von Fourche wrote:
>
> > I'm just wondering if you can make drinkable and enjoyable drinks
using
> > bottled lime or is it basically a big no no. I might as well buy a lime
> > squeezer and squeeze my own limes since they are so cheap to begin with.
>
> Sure you can use bottled juice in drinks. It won't ruin it. You might
> not even be able to tell the difference. If you're a professional
> bartender, customers like to see a real lime in their drinks, but they
> can't tell the difference. Especially by the third one...
>
> > Another question - some drinks call for a dash or two of something,
like
> > grenadine. How do you measure a dash?
>
> Somebody standardized a dash to be 1/8 of a teaspoon, but I think you're
> going overboard here. There is no such thing as a perfect drink recipe.
> In all cases, you should mentally add "adjust to taste" after every
> ingredient and every step. In a real-world drink recipe, a dash of some
> fluid is a splash oof it, just enough to make a minor contribution, but
> not enough to change the overall flavor. Splash a little in your drink,
> and the next trime, try a larger or smaller splash. Eventually you'll
> get it just right, to your taste.
>
> > I might try my hand at a tequila sunrise this weekend. The
instructions
> > I have say:
> >
> > 1. 1/23oz tequila
> > 2. 5oz fresh orange juice
> > 3. 2 dash of grenadine
> >
> > I have the tequila and grenadine. I thought I would just buy
orange
> > juice in a carton or gallon to use since I'm a newbie to mixing drinks.
>
> I sure hope that's not 1/23 of an ounce - that's not much tequila...
> But yeah, fixating on specific kinds of orange juce (fresh versus
> carton, navel versus tangelo, Florida versus California) is such a minor
> consideration. You'll be find using Tropicana OJ, and just a splash or
> two of grenadine. My best advice is practice and experimentation. At
> the very least, you get to drink all your failures...
>
> Gunther Anderson
>

"Gunther Anderson" > wrote in message
...
> Von Fourche wrote:
>
> > I'm just wondering if you can make drinkable and enjoyable drinks
using
> > bottled lime or is it basically a big no no. I might as well buy a lime
> > squeezer and squeeze my own limes since they are so cheap to begin with.
>
> Sure you can use bottled juice in drinks. It won't ruin it. You might
> not even be able to tell the difference. If you're a professional
> bartender, customers like to see a real lime in their drinks, but they
> can't tell the difference. Especially by the third one...
>
> > Another question - some drinks call for a dash or two of something,
like
> > grenadine. How do you measure a dash?
>
> Somebody standardized a dash to be 1/8 of a teaspoon, but I think you're
> going overboard here. There is no such thing as a perfect drink recipe.
> In all cases, you should mentally add "adjust to taste" after every
> ingredient and every step. In a real-world drink recipe, a dash of some
> fluid is a splash oof it, just enough to make a minor contribution, but
> not enough to change the overall flavor. Splash a little in your drink,
> and the next trime, try a larger or smaller splash. Eventually you'll
> get it just right, to your taste.
>
> > I might try my hand at a tequila sunrise this weekend. The
instructions
> > I have say:
> >
> > 1. 1/23oz tequila
> > 2. 5oz fresh orange juice
> > 3. 2 dash of grenadine
> >
> > I have the tequila and grenadine. I thought I would just buy
orange
> > juice in a carton or gallon to use since I'm a newbie to mixing drinks.
>
> I sure hope that's not 1/23 of an ounce - that's not much tequila...
> But yeah, fixating on specific kinds of orange juce (fresh versus
> carton, navel versus tangelo, Florida versus California) is such a minor
> consideration. You'll be find using Tropicana OJ, and just a splash or
> two of grenadine. My best advice is practice and experimentation. At
> the very least, you get to drink all your failures...
>


Ok, one last question: Where in the heck do I find Orgeat (almond
syrup)?

I've looked and looked in Wal-Mart and a couple of other grocery stores
but I can not find this stuff. I want it to make a Mai Tai. I read on the
net that it might be found near the coffee products. I found other syrup
like vanilla and cherry, but have not found Orgeat/almond syrup yet. What
do I do? Where do I go? Do liquor stores carry this stuff?

Von Fourche wrote:
>
> Ok, one last question: Where in the heck do I find Orgeat (almond
> syrup)?
>
> I've looked and looked in Wal-Mart and a couple of other grocery stores
> but I can not find this stuff. I want it to make a Mai Tai. I read on the
> net that it might be found near the coffee products. I found other syrup
> like vanilla and cherry, but have not found Orgeat/almond syrup yet. What
> do I do? Where do I go? Do liquor stores carry this stuff?

Some liquor stores do. Call around and ask. I find exotic syrups like
that (from makers like Torani and Monin) at exotic imported foods stores
and high-end liquor stores that have a deli section. You can certainly
find them on the net, but as for finding them locally, hit the phone
book for imported food stores.

Good luck,
Gunther Anderson