When using flavor concentrates to make shave ice and snow cones, you need to first make simple syrup to mix with the concentrates. What is simple syrup?
Simple syrup is simply water and sugar that is boiled together to incorporate the sugar and thicken the mixture.
Since shave ice and snow cones are mostly ice, they need a very sweet, strongly flavored syrup to give them a proper flavor. If your syrup isn’t sweet enough, it will make your snow cone or shave ice taste very weak once it is watered down by the melting ice.
Making Simple Syrup Step by Step
[dropcap]1[/dropcap]Add Equal Parts Sugar and Water to a Pot
Simply use a 1:1 ratio of syrup to water. For example 1 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar. You can use any kind of pot or sauce pan you have around.
Keep in mind that that since the sugar is granular it will take up less space after it has dissolved into the water. Because of this, 1 cup of water plus 1 cup of sugar will not make 2 cups of simple syrup. It will make more like 1.5 cups of syrup.
[dropcap]2[/dropcap]Heat the Mixture To Dissolve Sugar
Use a medium heat and stir the mixture occasionally to make sure the sugar doesn’t burn on the hot bottom of the pan. If this happens you’ll get a bad taste and the water will turn an unappealing amber color. If this happens, throw it away and start fresh.
[dropcap]3[/dropcap]Bring To Simmer and Remove From Heat
Once you see the water is starting to simmer, take it off the heat right away. Your water should be nice and clear and not cloudy.
[dropcap]4[/dropcap]Allow to Cool
Allow to cool on the unheated stove until it reaches room temperature. At that point you can either store it in your fridge for when you need it, or…
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At this point you can add shave ice or snow cone flavor concentrates according to their instructions. You can also make natural homemade syrups by gently boiling the syrup with diced fruit such as strawberries, mangoes, or any other type of fruit you like.
Storing Simple Syrup
After you make it, your simple syrup will stay good for a month inside a sterile container in the refrigerator. It is crucial that simple syrup be kept cold to inhibit bacteria and mold growth.
We like to store ours in plastic jugs so it’s easier to mix with concentrate or fruit flavors when we’re ready for it. We found these 1 gallon ones on Amazon but you can also get similar ones at restaurant supply stores or Walmart.
The high sugar content of the syrup will help it resist spoiling, but eventually it will begin to crystalize – just like the crystal rock candy you might have made as a kid. The longer you heat and reduce the syrup, the more you can slow the crystallization.
Freezing Simple Syrup
To prevent spoilage, another option is to freeze your simple syrup. Simple syrups can safely be frozen for a very long time. Although it will not freeze to a full solid, it will become extremely thick and viscous and mold and bacteria will not be able to grow in it.
The heavier the syrup (more sugar and less water) the more it will resist freezing solid.
When ready to use the frozen syrup, all you have to do is allow it to warm to room temperature and they will become usable again.
Adding Preservatives To Your Syrup
Although preservatives are not necessary as long as you use your syrup quickly enough, they can be helpful if you want to make large batches and keep your syrup for a long time.
Adding a bit of citric acid, lemon juice, or cream of tartar are several natural ways to help prevent crystallization and extend the shelf life of your simple syrup. These will alter the color and flavor of the syrup slightly though, so you may want to test it in a small batch first to see if the added flavors go well with the flavors you’re making.
The way many snow cone and shave ice businesses increase their syrups shelf life is to add a mixture of sodium benzoate and citric acid. These preservatives will allow the syrup to stay fresh in a refrigerator for over six months.
To use sodium benzoate and citric acid, mix one ounce of sodium benzoate for each gallon of simple syrup used and stir/shake well in mixing container. Then, add a ¼ ounce of Citric Acid for every gallon in the container and stir/shake the mixture again. Make sure you add each preservative separately because if you add both ingredients at the same time the preservative will crystallize.
Even if preservatives are added and it’s kept refrigerated unused simple syrup will eventually grow mold and will need to be disposed of. Remember to keep an eye on it and if in doubt, make another batch. Sugar and water are very cheap, after all.
Adding Flavors or Concentrates
Flavored snow cone and shave ice syrups are almost always a combination of water, sugar, flavor concentrate and (sometimes) preservatives.
After you’ve made your simple syrup, you’ll next have to mix in natural flavors or flavor concentrates to make the sugar taste how you want it to. Here’s how:
- Shake the flavor concentrate well before using
- Measure and pour the amount of concentrate needed into the container you’re mixing it in
- Measure and pour the amount of simple syrup needed into the mixing container
- Put a cap on the container and shake it well
At this point it’s best to put the finished syrups into long neck plastic quart bottles with pouring spouts so it can easily be poured over the shaved or crushed ice.
If you would prefer to make totally natural shave ice or snow cone syrups without concentrates and preservatives, check out our article here on how to make IDY organic shave ice syrups.
The Importance of Filtered Water
Sure simple syrup is only water and sugar, but if you want high quality shave ice or snow cones, it’s important to use quality ingredients.
While you can use tap water (as long as your municipality has tap water that’s safe to drink) it’s not going to made the best quality simple syrup.
Instead, I highly recommend using water that’s been filtered – ideally through a reverse osmosis type of filter system. You can also use something like a Brita filter, which will be considerably less expensive. Of course, purchasing filtered water is also an option.
Different Types of Sugar
Although generic granulated pure cane sugar will be the cheapest option there are also many different types of sugar which can also be used to make simple syrup. Many of these other types, like coconut sugar, are more unrefined and tend to be healthier options. In general the less refined the sugar is, the healthier it is. Popular types of sugar include:
Sugar Substitutes for Simple Syrup
It’s also possible to make simple syrup using artificial sugar alternatives as well as with natural sweeteners such as stevia, erythritol or monkfruit sweetener. Bear in mind that each of these sweeteners has a very different taste, and some may work better for snow cones than others do. In the future our family plans to do some experimenting with things different options and we’ll report back with the results.
