Best Substitutes for Sugar
Out of Sugar? Here are the best alternatives that work in cocktail recipes.
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Original Ingredient
Sugar
Other
Pure, clean sweetness with no aroma or aromatic complexity. Dissolves to add transparent sweetness and smooth mouthfeel. Essential foundation that balances sour and bitter elements.
Recommended Substitutes
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Powdered sugar
Use as a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted.
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Brown sugar
Use as a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted.
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Demerara Sugar
Use as a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted.
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Sugar syrup
Use as a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted.
General Substitution Tips
- → Match the alcohol level: a 40% spirit needs a similarly strong replacement or adjust volume.
- → For liqueurs, dilute spirits + simple syrup can replicate sweetness and proof.
- → Citrus substitutions: lemon and lime are mostly interchangeable at a 1:1 ratio.
- → For bitters, Angostura is the most neutral substitute for most other aromatic bitters.