Prolonging the Life of Simple Syrup

Strawberry syrup
I need simple syrup all the time for cocktails, Italian sodas, and desserts. The thing is, I have a problem with it going bad. Simple syrup is a combination of sugar and water that has been boiled until the sugar is dissolved. I usually do a 1:1 ratio–1 cup of sugar for a cup of water. This is a perfect environment for mold to grow in. It seems that no matter how tightly I put on the lid of the jar, mold appears within a week or two.
Yesterday a friend sent me this experiment. Camper English of Alcademics heard that “rich simple syrup,” which uses a 2:1 ratio, lasts longer in the fridge. He decided to find out if that’s true by making the different kinds of syrup and seeing when they spoiled. He also added vodka into the mix, which he had heard prolongs syrup. In the end, he had four bottles of syrup, as follows:
* 1:1 simple syrup
* 1:1 simple syrup plus one tablespoon vodka
* 2:1 rich simple syrup
* 2:1 rich simple syrup plus one tablespoon vodka
The results?
* 1:1 simple syrup lasted One Month
* 1:1 simple syrup plus one tablespoon vodka lasted Three Months
* 2:1 rich simple syrup lasted Six Months
* 2:1 rich simple syrup plus one tablespoon vodka lasted more than six months
Good to know.
Read the full experiment here.

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