A maple old fashioned is a standard old fashioned with maple syrup in place of the sugar. Stir 2 ounces of bourbon or rye with 1 1/2 teaspoons of maple syrup and 2 dashes of bitters over ice. Strain it over a large ice cube and finish with an orange peel.
This drink is for adults of legal drinking age.
A classic old fashioned often starts with a sugar cube muddled with bitters. Maple syrup is already liquid, so there's nothing to muddle. It stirs straight into the whiskey.
What you need
- 2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 2 dashes aromatic bitters
- Ice for stirring, plus 1 large ice cube for serving
- 1 wide strip of orange peel
How to make it
- Add the whiskey, maple syrup and bitters to a mixing glass or any sturdy glass.
- Fill the glass with ice and stir for about 30 seconds, until the drink is very cold.
- Put the large ice cube in a rocks glass. Strain the drink over it, using a strainer or a spoon to hold back the ice.
- Hold the orange peel over the drink, skin side down, and squeeze it to release its oils. Rub it around the rim and drop it in.
Which syrup to use
Amber is warm and smooth with caramel notes, and it rounds out the whiskey without getting in the way. Dark is deep and robust, so the maple holds its own next to bourbon or a spicy rye. Both are pure maple syrup with one ingredient, so maple is the only thing you're adding.
Tips
- Measure the syrup. A little maple goes a long way here. Start with 1 1/2 teaspoons, then add more by the half teaspoon if you want it sweeter.
- Chill the glass. Put the rocks glass in the freezer for a few minutes before you start.
- Stir, don't shake. Stirring chills the drink and keeps it clear. Shaking clouds it with tiny bubbles.
- Use a big cube. One large cube melts more slowly than a handful of small ones, so the drink stays cold without watering down as fast.
- No large cubes? Fill the rocks glass with regular ice instead. The drink will water down a little faster, and that's fine.
- Bourbon or rye. Bourbon makes a rounder, softer drink. Rye makes it spicier and drier.
- Peel with care. Use a vegetable peeler and take just the orange layer. The white pith underneath is bitter.
- Try other bitters. Swap the aromatic bitters for orange bitters, or use one dash of each.
Making a round
For four drinks, stir 1 cup of whiskey, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 8 dashes of bitters together in a pitcher, then chill it. When it's time to serve, stir a generous 1/4 cup of the mix (about 2 1/4 ounces) with ice for about 30 seconds and strain it over a fresh large cube. Repeat for each glass.
