Simple Syrups-- Sweet & Sassy

Simple Syrup is the easiest way to take your cocktail creations to the next level. Start by boiling equal parts sugar and water for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and go crazy from there. If you want a more viscous syrup you can add more sugar, but make sure you stir more frequently to prevent the sugar from burning. Try changing to brown sugar or natural sugar for more flavor options.
Some commonly made and versatile syrups are honey, ginger, lemon, lime, pepper, jalepeno and vanilla. You can get really creative and use herbs and spices to produce some interesting flavor combinations. Try cherry vanilla, honey lavender, peach, lychee, caramel apple, lemon grass, thyme, cayenne pepper... it takes a little time and a lot of tasting to get things just right, trust your palate. Remember, there is no "right" way to make something up. I try not to limit myself to following exact recipies, especially when using fresh ingredients. Some methods are more effective than others for specific ingredients. For instance, when using ginger, I find that grating it helps release the most amount of flavor into the syrup. Deciding to include or omit the peel of a lemon of an orange can really make a big difference in your final product. If you are having a hard time with gettting enough flavor out in the boiling process, try letting the syrup cool with the flavoring agents still in it and then bringing it back up to a boil. Also, if you leave the syrup at room temp overnight before straining it off, you will find a much more potent result. Invest in a funnel and some cheese cloth, it works wonders.
So you made a creative syrup, now what? Try and create cocktails that compliment or contrast with the flavor of your syrup. You will find that sweet needs to be balanced with sour, bitter or dry. Work to create cocktails that have balance, that is the key to success. When experiementing, add one element at a time to your mixing glass, taste, smell, evaluate and move forward. It may take a couple tries to get what you are looking for so be patient. Have fun, and think outside the box, some of the best cocktails have very surprising combinations of flavors and you won't know how they work together until you try it yourself.