Demerara Syrup substitute

Best substitute

Rich (2:1) simple syrup

Use the same amount by volume as the demerara syrup you are replacing

Best for tiki drinks

Different taste

Demerara syrup is doing two separate jobs, and the second one catches people out. The first is flavour: raw cane sugar keeps a thin film of its own molasses, so the syrup tastes faintly of toffee and minerals rather than of nothing. The second is concentration, because the standard recipe is a rich 2:1 syrup with roughly twice the sugar per spoonful of ordinary simple syrup. That matters because a tiki drink with six ingredients cannot afford extra water. So the two swaps that actually work are rich 2:1 white simple syrup measure for measure, which is spot on for sweetness and only misses the toffee note, or ordinary 1:1 simple syrup at double the volume, which sweetens correctly but adds water and will make the drink taste thinner. Turbinado, raw and Sugar in the Raw are the same sugar under different names, so a syrup made with any of them is not a substitute at all, it is the real thing.

Other demerara syrup substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Ordinary 1:1 simple syrup, doubled
Taste and texture differ
Use twice as much, so ½ oz of simple syrup for every ¼ oz of demerara syrup
The most likely thing to already be in your fridge.
What changes
Doubling the volume gets the sugar right, but you are also adding the extra water that the rich syrup did not contain, so the finished drink is measurably more dilute.
Best for
shaken sours, drinks with strong flavours that hide dilution, when it is the only syrup you own
Compensate for the extra water by shaking for a shorter time, using larger and colder ice, or stirring rather than shaking. Otherwise a spirit-forward drink loses its backbone and tastes watery even though the sweetness reads correct.
3Turbinado or raw cane sugar syrup
Close match
Use the same amount
Not a substitute so much as the same ingredient wearing a different label.
What changes
Turbinado, raw sugar, Sugar in the Raw and demerara are all partially refined cane sugars with a residual molasses coating. Made 2:1 with water they give you an essentially identical syrup.
Best for
everything demerara syrup is used for
True Demerara sugar from Guyana has slightly larger, drier crystals than most turbinado, so it needs a little more heat and stirring to dissolve. The finished syrup tastes the same. Buy whichever your shop stocks.
4Light brown sugar syrup
Close match
Use the same amount at the same 2:1 sugar-to-water concentration
Brown sugar has refined molasses blended back in rather than clinging on from the start, so the flavour is noticeably heavier: stickier, sweeter, and with a slight bitterness.
What changes
In a dark rum drink most people cannot tell them apart.
Best for
dark rum and whiskey drinks, Old Fashioneds, hot buttered rum
In a delicate drink such as a Daiquiri variation or anything with gin, it muddies things. It also settles cloudier, so a stirred drink you wanted crystal clear will look murkier.
5Cane syrup or golden syrup
Different taste
Use the same amount thinned with a teaspoon of hot water per tablespoon if it will not pour
Invert sugar syrups that are thicker than demerara syrup and taste more of butterscotch than of minerals.
What changes
The extra viscosity is genuinely pleasant in the mouth, and there is no risk of undissolved crystals.
Best for
rum drinks, Ti Punch style drinks, anywhere body matters as much as sweetness
Because they are invert syrups they will not recrystallise, which makes them convenient. They are sweeter per spoonful than a 2:1 sugar syrup, so start at three quarters and taste up.
6Maple syrup
Different taste
Use the same amount
Ready to pour, roughly the right thickness and colour, and unexpectedly good in aged rum and whiskey drinks.
What changes
It is unmistakably maple though, so it is a flavour decision rather than a stealth substitution.
Best for
aged rum drinks, bourbon and rye, hot drinks
Dark, robust grades are closer in weight to demerara syrup than the pale delicate grades. In a bright, citrus-heavy tiki drink the maple can taste odd against the pineapple and lime.

What is Demerara Syrup?

Demerara Syrup is Demerara syrup is demerara or turbinado raw cane sugar dissolved in water, usually two parts sugar to one part water, which gives a thick amber syrup with a light toffee and mineral edge.

Cooking tips

A 2:1 syrup needs warmth to dissolve, unlike 1:1 which will dissolve cold if you shake it long enough. Heat gently and stop the moment the liquid is clear. Boiling drives off water, concentrates the syrup unpredictably and starts to darken the sugar.
Measure by weight if you can. Demerara crystals are coarse and irregular, so a cup of it can vary a lot, whereas 400 g of sugar to 200 g of water gives you the same syrup every time.
Demerara sugar is not the same as dark muscovado or dark brown sugar, even though shops shelve them together. Demerara is a light golden raw sugar with a whisper of molasses. Muscovado is nearly black and tastes of treacle. Swapping one for the other is the most common reason a homemade syrup comes out far too strong.
Adding a teaspoon or two of gum arabic per cup turns this into demerara gum syrup, the version many classic and revival cocktail recipes actually specify. The gum adds silky body and no extra sweetness.
Rich syrups keep noticeably longer than 1:1 syrups, because the higher sugar concentration is hostile to microbes. Expect three to four weeks in the fridge, and a month or more if you add half a teaspoon of vodka per cup.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use regular simple syrup instead of demerara syrup?

Yes, but watch the concentration. If your simple syrup is the usual 1:1, you need twice the volume to match a 2:1 demerara syrup, which also means adding extra water to the drink. Shake a little less or use colder ice to offset it. If you can make your simple syrup 2:1 instead, swap it measure for measure and the only thing you lose is the light toffee flavour.

What does rich demerara syrup mean?

Rich just means two parts sugar to one part water rather than the equal parts of ordinary simple syrup. It is the default for demerara syrup in tiki and cocktail books, because it sweetens with half the liquid and keeps drinks from getting watery. If a recipe says demerara syrup with no further detail, assume rich 2:1.

Can I leave it out?

No. It is the entire sugar component of the drink, and rum and lime with no sweetener is genuinely sour and harsh. Any syrup, honey syrup, maple, even a teaspoon of granulated sugar shaken until dissolved, is far better than skipping it.

Is demerara syrup the same as demerara rum?

No, and it is a common mix-up in tiki recipes because both appear in the same drinks. Demerara rum is a style of rum from Guyana, dark and smoky. Demerara syrup is a non-alcoholic sugar syrup. A recipe listing both is not repeating itself.

Why did my demerara syrup crystallise in the fridge?

A 2:1 syrup is close to saturation, so if it was not fully dissolved or it got very cold, sugar drops back out as crystals. Warm the jar gently in a bowl of hot water and swirl until it clears. To prevent it next time, make sure the syrup is completely clear before you cool it, and add a teaspoon of golden syrup or corn syrup per cup, which interferes with crystal formation.

Related substitutes

More sweeteners substitutes

Demerara Syrup substitute

Other demerara syrup substitutes

2Ordinary 1:1 simple syrup, doubled

3Turbinado or raw cane sugar syrup

4Light brown sugar syrup

5Cane syrup or golden syrup

6Maple syrup