Muddling Vs Infused Syrup: Which Is Better For Flavorful Cocktails?

There are so many different techniques that can play a part in crafting a perfect cocktail, and one of them is muddling — but what exactly is muddling in the first place? When should you muddle the ingredients in your cocktail, and when should you go for an infused syrup instead (which can also boost the fresh flavors in your drink, albeit in a different way)?

Luckily, content creator and cocktail book author Jordan Hughes has an answer for you. Hughes — who runs the website High Proof Preacher — spoke exclusively to The Takeout about the art of muddling cocktail ingredients and why it's so important for specific drinks. Muddling, just as a refresher, involves using a blunt object to crush non-alcoholic components of a cocktail.

So why muddle? What does it do for the drink? "In the case of mint and other fresh herbs, muddling helps to release the aromatic and flavorful oils within the herbs so they can be incorporated with the rest of the cocktail ingredients," Hughes told us. "With fresh fruit, like berries and citrus, muddling helps break down the fruit, and release the juices." Still, there are other ways to flavor a cocktail — namely, by using infused syrups. However, they can be time-consuming and fiddly to make, so for many home bartenders, the convenience of muddling makes it the superior choice.

Another great way to add fresh flavor to a cocktail is by making an infused simple syrup — and even if you've never made one of those before, you've probably encountered them on menus at upscale cocktail bars. From lime syrups to more inventive spins like rhubarb syrups, bars use simple syrups infused with fresh fruit, herbs, or both all the time ... so what's Jordan Hughes' take on those over muddling?

Hughes prefers syrups for his own purposes, but acknowledges that they're just not as approachable for a home bartender. "Personally, I do prefer using an infused syrup over muddling, but it really is a personal preference," Hughes said. "You might choose muddling over a syrup because syrups take more intention and prep time. With a syrup, you need to weigh and mix ingredients, and some infusions can take a while. With muddling, you can just take the herb you want to incorporate into your cocktail and gently muddle it." 

Still, not everyone is Team Syrup like Hughes. On the website A Bar Above, bartender Chris Tunstall tested out three different cocktail-making methods looking for the best, freshest apple flavor. Ultimately, Tunstall thought the syrup was too acidic, and that muddling the apples in his take on a sour resulted in the best taste; he did acknowledge, though, that it was very time-consuming — which does contradict Hughes' take, but bartenders aren't a monolith and they're bound to have different opinions on techniques.

So which cocktails rely on muddling as a technique? There are a few classics that actually require you to muddle the ingredients — and the best-known one is probably the mojito. A refreshing, summery, rum-based cocktail originally created in Cuba, the mojito has you muddle mint, sugar, and lime before adding white rum; crushing the fruit and mint leaves really brings out the flavors and gives the drink its signature fresh taste. Similarly, a caipirinha — a South American twist on a mojito using cachaça, a smoky spirit hailing from Brazil — muddles lime and sugar but ditches the mint. 

It's not just rum that benefits from the muddling treatment. Old fashioneds and mint juleps, both of which use whiskey as a base spirit (bourbon for the latter), use muddled ingredients; old fashioneds use sugar and Angostura bitters and juleps use mint. A Sazerac, a strong cocktail that pairs rye whiskey with an absinthe rinse, also muddles sugar and bitters, but uses Peychaud's in place of Angostura. Some gin drinks, like the Eastside, add cucumber to lime, mint, and sugar for a different take on a mojito. 

Muddling can elevate a cocktail from okay to great, if you do it right — and now you know why it's so important, so go whip up a mojito or an old fashioned and see what muddling can do for the flavor of your drinks.