Creative Ways To Use Up Leftover Sugar Cubes

Sugar cubes are a romantic, classy, and sometimes even practical way of adding sugar to a beverage. They are an essential ingredient in several classic cocktails, and are also a mainstay on any traditional British afternoon tea table. While they are fun for special occasions, you may find yourself with leftover sugar cubes from time to time. This might have you wondering how you can use them up.

If you have leftover sugar cubes, use them in your cocktails, your morning coffee nook, or even host an afternoon tea. You can make a body scrub, an exfoliating lip scrub, or even a hand scrub with your leftover sugar cubes. You can add sugar cubes to hot water to make simple syrup, or added with white vinegar to water in a vase to keep flowers alive.

Sugar cubes have all sorts of uses. It is sugar after all, and sugar is in just about everything. But if you have lots of sugar cubes, or are looking for a fun way to showcase your leftover cubes, then keep reading. Below we have listed some of the best and creative ways to use leftover sugar cubes.

11 Creative Ways To Use Leftover Sugar Cubes

1. Host An Afternoon Tea For Friends

If you need a reason to invite friends over, then let your leftover sugar cubes be the excuse. One of the best uses for sugar cubes is as an accompaniment to afternoon tea. Sugar cubes came into fashion during the heyday of this British tradition, and are still a staple in an afternoon tea service.

DIY afternoon teas have become quite popular as an alternative to brunch, or even to celebrate birthdays, spring holidays, or even a baby shower. Consider throwing an afternoon tea of sorts, and don’t forget to display your sugar cubes.

2. Use Them In Cocktails

If you like a classic cocktail, especially a whiskey-based beverage, consider moving your sugar cubes to your bar area. Sugar cubes go into several classic cocktails, from an old-fashioned to a traditional champagne cocktail.

There are both elegant and practical reasons for using sugar cubes instead of just a spoon of sugar. Either way, if you have a bar setup, it can’t hurt to place sugar cubes in an airtight container, so you remember to use them the next time you are in the mood to be a bartender.

3. Put Them Next To Your Coffee Maker

If you take sugar in your coffee each morning, then one effective way of using up your sugar cubes is to replace a sugar packet with a sugar cube. Place the cubes by whatever type of coffee making vessel you use as a daily reminder.

Depending on the size of your sugar cubes, you may have to make some adjustments to get the exact sugar-to-coffee ratio you like. If you make this substitution, you will quickly run through your surplus of sugar cubes. Just remember to give your coffee a few extra stirs, as sugar cubes take longer to dissolve in coffee than granulated sugar.

4. Make A Body Scrub

If you love trying out new bath products, then you have likely encountered one or two sugar scrubs in your day. Sugar is a great skin exfoliator, and doesn’t cause many negative skin reactions. You can try out your DIY skills and make your own sugar body scrub. It is very easy and requires only a few ingredients. Combine sugar cubes, coconut oil, and your favorite essential oil to make an amazing body scrub that your skin will love.

5. Make A Paste To Exfoliate Your Lips

You can also make a simple and more concentrated scrub using sugar cubes to get rid of any flaky lip issues. After a long winter, your lips tend to shed skin, especially with fluctuating temperatures. This can lead to dry lips. You can reach for your leftover sugar cubes to give your lips a nourishing exfoliating treatment. Use equal parts sugar cubes and coconut oil, or even Vaseline to make the scrub. Apply it to the lips and rub it in a circular motion. You’ll be amazed at how soft and healthy your lips feel afterwards.

6. Feed A Bouquet Of Fresh Flowers

You can help keep your flower arrangement alive by feeding it some sugar cubes. A simple DIY plant food is sugar and vinegar. That’s typically three teaspoons of sugar cubes and two tablespoons of vinegar added to about a quart of water. This will keep your flowers happy for longer, and also use up your leftover sugar cubes.

7. Make Simple Syrup

Another great culinary use for sugar cubes is to make a simple syrup. Simple syrup is a fantastic item to have on hand. You can add it to iced tea or iced coffee or sweeten up any other cold beverage without stirring it for minutes, which happens when you use granulated sugar.

Simple syrup is also a common ingredient in cocktails. You can use it to make fresh margaritas, cosmos, and so much more. Add equal parts sugar cubes to boiling water, and stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Let the substance cool and then it is ready to use. It is that easy.

8. Make A Hand Soap To Help Get Grime Or Paint Off Your Skin

Another great way that sugar cubes can be used as an exfoliator is as a hand scrub. If you work with paint, trees, or cars, this is especially handy. Sugar added to your normal cleaning soap, or coconut oil, can help remove grime, sap, dirt, and oil from your hands better than just soap can. It also nourishes your skin, so it won’t feel as raw and irritated as it would if you just endlessly scrubbed it.

9. Make Nectar To Feed Hummingbirds

If you are trying to attract hummingbirds into your yard, but are sick of paying to buy nectar on the off-chance that they show up to drink, then make your own. You can use sugar cubes and hot water (similar to the simple syrup method) and add an edible (natural or organic if possible) red food coloring to create nectar for hummingbirds. It is an easy way to use up sugar cubes and makes your nectar cost very little.

10. Make Your Own Wasp Trap

If you notice wasps flying a little too close to your home for comfort, then consider making your own wasp trap with the help of sugar cubes. Make a sugar water solution and add it to a large container.

Make a small hole (large enough for the wasps to get in, but not easy for them to escape) in the container. The wasps will find their way in as they are attracted to the sugar scent but will struggle to find the exit.

11. Keep Them Handy For A Burnt Mouth Remedy

As hard as we try not to drink our tea or sip our soup when it is too hot, this doesn’t always happen. Eventually, you will burn your mouth on something quite hot, and you will want a sugar cube around to suck on.

If you are in pain after burning your tongue or mouth, sucking on sugar does ease the pain. Grab a sugar cube and place it at the sight of the burn and slowly suck on it. By the time it has dissolved, the pain should have subsided, at least partially.

Summing Up How To Use Up Leftover Sugar Cubes

Sugar cubes are arguably the most fun type of sugar you can buy. They are also impractical from a cooking point of view, which is why you may find yourself with leftover sugar cubes for many months. Instead of letting your sugar cubes go to waste, try adding them to your morning coffee, your favorite cocktail, or even make a simple syrup.

Try making a body scrub, or a paste to exfoliate your lips using sugar cubes and natural oil. You can even use leftover sugar cubes to make hummingbird nectar or even to trap unwanted wasps.

Related Guides:

• How To Get Burnt Sugar Off Stove Top
• How To Get Rid Of Sugar Ants
• 10 Ways To Help A Bouquet Of Flowers Last Longer