I've seen a few people mention that, sterilizing their sugar by boiling. I could be wrong, but I think sugar, and things high in sugar (like honey), are hydrophiles. This means, in unscientific terms, that they draw water powerfully to themselves. That in turn makes it very difficult for organisms to live in or around them. They are killed by their water being leeched from them by the sugar. This is why honey, candy, and other things high in sugar don't require preservatives and keep almost forever.
Therefore, as long as your measuring equipment, funnels, or whatever are sterilized, I don't think it's necessary to actually sterilize the sugar. I don't, anyway. Not that it matters much, but hey, why add water to a good drink if you don't have to?