Place the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 1 minute, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer to a clean glass or plastic container and store in the fridge.
Use as directed in a recipe, or store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Make rich simple syrup with 2 parts sugar and 1 part water.
Try "raw" sugars like demerara or turbinado instead of regular white sugar.
Create a flavored simple syrup by adding citrus zest, herbs, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, fresh ginger, or other ingredients to the boiling syrup. Let the flavoring ingredient steep in the syrup while it cools, taste for flavor, and steep longer if desired before straining, bottling, and refrigerating. Try the simple syrup infused with rosemary, lemongrass, and chile pepper in this Lemongrass Cocktail!