Sugar

Sugar.
It is mainly obtained from sugar cane (grown in hot countries such as the Antilles, Central America, South America, India, the Philippines, Formosa, in some parts of Africa and Australia) and from beetroot.

For a long time sugar was a luxury, rare and expensive product until, in 1747, the German chemist Andreas Sigsmund Maargraf - from Berlin - was able to demonstrate its presence and extract sucrose from beets. A few decades later, his French pupil Franz Karl Achard devised an industrial process suitable for extraction.
Sugar is also obtained from other vegetables, cereals, fruit, grapes, etc. It is the basis of confectionery, jams, syrups, preserves, etc. In the bar it is used in two ways; fine granulated to sweeten hot drinks, coffee, tea, etc., usually in sachets and liquid, commonly called sugar syrup to sweeten cold drinks and cocktails.
Preparation of the liquid sugar: bring 1/2 liter of water almost to a boil and pour 1 kg of sugar into it, mix well and slowly until the mixture becomes almost transparent, if it has impurities, filter everything and let it cool. Then pour into a container (I like to use glass bottles - those of the liqueurs previously washed and prepared) and store in the refrigerator. It keeps for a long time but always check that there are no traces of mold on the top. If the preparation is with white sugar it will not affect the color of the preparation. If you have prepared the syrup with raw cane sugar - therefore brown - pay attention to the final result of the color of the cocktail. If you want to flavor the syrup you can add cinnamon or vanilla to the bottle and these or other spices will release some of their aroma to the preparation. You can also make use of the use of honey which, when diluted with a little water, is also an interesting softener for mixed preparations.
For fruit syrups, rely on those commonly on the market, they are more balanced and with better preservation characteristics than artisanal ones. Syrup of grenadine (pomegranate), strawberry, barley, cherry, etc. can not miss to enrich our preparations. Remember, however, that if you prepare something by hand, the customer's health is the first thing to safeguard. If you have even the slightest doubt about your syrup preparations etc. don't use them.