Vintage American Cocktails

What Is The Difference Between Brown Sugar And White Sugar?

So, believe it or not, white sugar is bleached to make it white. Bleaching sugar produces a completely uncolored and clean sweetener that only adds sweetness and no additional flavor. Non-bleached but still refined sugar will always have a little molasses left behind. Molasses can only be wholly removed chemically. Regardless most manufactured sugar is bleached. To produce brown sugar, many companies will mix a little extracted molasses back into the bleached refined sugar. Natural, non bleached brown sugars are: turbinado sugar, demerara sugar, muscovado sugar, and piloncillo sugar. These sugars vary in how refined the molasses content is. These will make a simple dark syrup with a similar enough taste. Sure there will be some differences, but if you can’t find piloncillo or demerara, then turbinado or regular brown sugar will do.