A craft bartender is many things and part chef is a large piece of the pie. Caramelizing sugar is a very useful skill to know but can take a little practice. I use caramelized sugar in my vermouths, bitters, and various other bartending experiments. Not only does is it impart a great flavor profile but it is also the same technique that pre-prohibition bartenders where utilizing. Using a pan with a very thick bottom or just an all around thick pan will prevent any hot spots.
Caramelized Sugar
3/4 cup cane sugar, dry
Put into a cold pan then start heat, turn up to medium (medium-low) and wait. After a couple minutes the sugar will begin to melt a little, stir often. Keep stirring until the all the sugar dissolves into one uniform brown color. Use as needed.
The 3/4 cup sugar will end up being about a half cup when you are done. If you are using this in a liquid make sure the liquid is hot so as to dissolve the caramelized sugar. If you let this cool down it will turn into a hard sticky mess. A tip on clean up, boil water in the pan or a large pot to dissolve any sugar, do not wait to clean up!
Article By: Mark Sexauer
Filed under: Techniques
