Vanilla Jalapeño Simple Syrup

A quick and easy jalapeño simple syrup recipe with a twist! Smooth vanilla with a kick of jalapeño is sure to liven up any cocktail.

Ah, the holidays. Relaxing and rejuvinating, right? Or, do you find yourself longing for a cocktail to make it through?

Make yourself a cocktail with this jalapeńo simple syrup recipe for a spicy treat that will warm you from the inside!

After our incredibly relaxed, easy meander across the South, it's been a reality check coming back to a densely populated area, where people honk and cut you off and jump in front of you in line and all sorts of other fun holiday spirit behavior.

Everything is definitely spread out in rural America, but it's kind of nice - no one's in a hurry, everyone is kind, and everyone has all the time in the world. Not here. Here, the world is ending and we all must buy ALL THE THINGS before the rest of the population snatches them up.

All that frazzled shopping and consumerism, followed by time with family, sitting around the house - I don't know about you, but it makes me need a drink or two to maintain sanity.

This vanilla jalapeño simple syrup recipe is delish, and will add the perfect spicy-sweet to your holiday cocktail.

Spell check is telling me delish isn't a word. We seem to have differing opinions on the matter, because I know for a fact this recipe is DELISH.

Take that, spell check. (Also, in case you were wondering, when you write it in all capital letters, spell check no longer has a problem with it.)

How to make simple syrup

Traditional simple syrup is made from one part water to one part sugar (1:1). You dissolve the sugar in water over heat until the liquid reduces and becomes a thicker, sweet syrup.

As you cook it down, the water begins to evaporate, leaving you with a smaller liquid to sugar ratio. It thickens and turns into a reduced syrup consistency.

Simple syrup alternative sweeteners

While traditional simple syrup is made with white refined sugar, you can use alternative sweeteners in the same way.

I've made this (and other) simple syrups with both maple sugar and coconut sugar. I have not tried with anything along the lines of monkfruit sweetener or similar, so I can't say how those will respond at all.

Coconut sugar simple syrups will always be on the darker side - coconut sugar starts out a light brown, and as it caramelizes it turns darker. Here's a delicious lavender coconut sugar simple syrup that sounds perfect for iced coffee!

Maple sugar tends to be a bit lighter in color, but it will still have a golden color to it when made into a simple syrup.

You can also use maple syrup to make a maple simple syrup. You'll water it down then reduce and thicken it again - see how in this recipe for a maple old fashioned - yum.

A caution on the jalapeños

Be careful not to put all the jalapeños in at once - you'll want to reserve some for the end, so you don't cook off all the spicy heat.

The ones you put in after you take it off the stove will give it a little something extra. The end result is a smooth vanilla flavor, with a little kick at the end from the jalapeños - not too much, just enough to make the flavor interesting.

If you want it spicier, you know what to do - add more jalapeños!

How to use this simple syrup

I can tell you from experimenting, this is better in cocktails that use less robust flavored liquors - so, it works better with vodka, gin, white rum.

When you get into the bourbons and spiced rums, you've got a lot of strong flavors competing, and the simple syrup tends to get drowned out. That being said, experiment and try it out, and let me know if you come up with a DELISH combo!

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