basic simple syrups you can make @ home

In a mixed drink, sugar can be the bridge between the booze and other flavors, minding the gap between bland and delicious. Sugar balances out the assertive taste of citrus and blends a drink’s ingredients into a more pleasant whole. But you have to be sure not to overdo it—there’s nothing worse than a cloyingly sweet drink.
Sugar is often used in its raw form, but for speed and efficiency, cooks and bartenders developed a simplified and easily measured alternative: the syrup. The most common syrup, a simple syrup, is one part water to one part sugar, stirred until the sugar grains are fully dissolved.
Sweetener can add a complexity all its own. For gin and whiskey, a syrup made with honey is pleasant. Tequila together with agave nectar makes sense. And for applejack, high quality maple syrup adds deep, rich notes. But these are not strict rules. The most important point is not to let the sugar dominate.
The real creativity comes when you manipulate your syrup. By boiling chopped ginger root or cinnamon with water, for example, you can extract intense flavor; add the sugar and you have something totally new. Fiddle endlessly. Once you start playing with spices and different sweeteners—try demerara sugar (unprocessed raw cane sugar) or any grade of maple syrup—you’ll be set to create your own signature concoction.
Simple Syrup
Combine one part table sugar and one part hot water. (I like superfine, because the very small granules dissolve easily.) Stir until dissolved.

Honey Syrup
Combine two parts honey (I like acacia) and one part hot water. Stir until dissolved.

Acacia Lavender Syrup
Combine two parts acacia honey and one part hot water. Stir until dissolved. Add 1 ounce lavender leaves Stir. Let sit for at least 12 hours or to taste.

Ginger Syrup
Combine 1½ cups water and one firmly packed cup of finely chopped and peeled ginger, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, still covered, and let stand for 4 to 6 hours. Strain to remove the ginger, saving the spiced water and pressing the ginger to extract any moisture. Add one cup of superfine sugar and stir until dissolved.

Cinnamon Syrup
Combine 1/3 ounce cinnamon sticks, broken up, with one cup sugar and one cup water. Place in saucepan and heat, stirring sugar until dissolved. Just before boiling, remove the mixture from the heat and let sit for at least 6 hours. Strain to remove cinnamon.
cocktail recipes.
The Boukman
1½ oz white rum
½ oz cognac
¾ oz cinnamon syrup
¾ oz lime juice
Ten Stand
1½ oz bourbon
¾ oz honeyed ginger syrup
½ oz fresh lemon juice
Bee’s Knees
2 oz gin
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
¾ oz lavender syrup