Many of the most popular cocktails are made with a mixture of liquor, juices, and simple syrup.

Simple syrup acts as a liquid sugar to fully sweeten mixed drinks. Simple syrup prevents the cocktail sweetener from settling to the bottle of the glass.

While you can purchase simple syrup at a liquor store, it is also an easy component to make at home in a pinch. All you will need is a little bit of sugar and water. Simple syrup is a common ingredient in mojitos, sweet martinis, and an array of other mixed drinks.

The following article from Serious Eats gives a step-by-step guide on how to make your own simple syrup, depending on your time constraints and the strength of the flavor you desire.

Cocktail 101: How to Make Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is one of the easiest ingredients you can prepare at home, and it’s a basic, indispensable part of the cocktailian’s arsenal.

Simple syrup is nothing more than a solution of sugar in water, and because the sugar is already dissolved into the water, you don’t need to worry about it settling to the bottom of your cocktail as you drink, making the last few sips cloying and leaving a gummy, sticky mess in the glass.

At its most basic, simple syrup is ridiculously easy to prepare. Bartenders such as Dale DeGroff, who work in high-volume establishments, prefer a method that doesn’t even require heat: take equal parts sugar and water, measure them into a tight-lidded jar or bottle, and shake the hell out of it. DeGroff suggests shaking for 3 minutes, letting it rest a minute, and then shaking again for 30 seconds.

If you’re planning to simply shake, I recommend using superfine sugar, which is just granulated sugar ground more finely than table sugar. The smaller crystal means it will dissolve more quickly into solution.

Some bartenders and home mixers prefer a stronger syrup, known also as rich simple syrup. Rich syrup is nothing more than simple syrup with a larger proportion of sugar. Some bartenders make it with 1.5 parts sugar to 1 part water, while others go up to a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water.

Rich syrups have two advantages: first, you can get away with using less of per drink, which gives your cocktail its necessary sweetness but reduces the volume of water per cocktail. The second advantage is that rich syrup lasts longer in a refrigerator before spoiling. The reason is, the sugar acts as a preservative.

You can make rich simple syrup by shaking, but it will take longer than a 1:1 ratio. You might find it’s easier to heat the syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a small pan. Turn heat to medium and stir. The sugar will dissolve quickly after the water heats up. Remove from heat, allow to cool, bottle, and refrigerate.

For a more flavorful syrup, consider using a raw, brown sugar such as turbinado, demerara, or muscovado. These sugars maintain more of a molasses character than white sugar and are thus richer in flavor. They pair especially well with cocktails made with brown spirits such as whiskey, brandy, and some rums and tequilas.

You can make these by shaking, but I’d advise you not to try it. The larger grain of these sugars means they take longer to reach solution in water. It’s really best to heat these syrups.

Feel free to play with ratios—1:1, 1.5:1, 2:1. Again, the thicker the syrup, the less you’ll need. Prepare them the same way as white syrup: Add sugar and water to a small pan. Turn heat to medium and stir. The sugar will dissolve quickly after the water heats up. Remove from heat, allow to cool, and bottle.

Remember that simple syrup only lasts for about a month in the refrigerator before it spoils. Mold can grow in the simple syrup if you allow it to sit for much longer. Some people add a bit of vodka to the simple syrup mixture in order to slow down spoilage, which causes it to last up to three months. Rich syrup will last for nearly six months before it goes bad.

Get creative by adding a variety of flavors to your simple syrup. You can create spicy syrup by allowing a hot pepper to soak in the simple syrup, or a floral sweetener with edible flower petals. The cocktail possibilities are endless!

If you don’t have the time to make simple syrup or are looking for a place to purchase the other cocktail materials, visit Julio’s Liquors, one of the top liquor stores in New England.