 Now, lastly, while it's not absolutely necessary to boil hummingbird food, it's definitely a good idea. Boiled hummingbird food is going to last longer, so you can make it in larger batches to save time. Plus, if the quality of your tap water is mediocre, boiling that water is really an easy step to make sure that your solution is at the highest quality. And also remember, if you're looking for a good cocktail recipe, simple syrup is one-to-one sugar and water, and it's always great to keep that in the fridge also.