Horrors! I never use water to carmelize sugar! Just put it in a cast iron skillet, heat on med to med low, and shake til it starts to melt. (Ok, stir if you have to). Once it starts melting it goes really fast and you have to watch it like a hawk if you don't want it to burn.

For this recipe, dark brown is best. Get it off the heat immediately, and add some of your hot liquid to the sugar, stir then pour in the big pot. Be careful when you add the liquid to the sugar...it will spit.