Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Published on November 3, 2018

Updated on May 20, 2020

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I love a good twist on a classic favorite Old Fashioned, like this Maple Bourbon Cocktail. This gorgeous drink gets a boost from maple syrup and warmth from cinnamon. It is a fantastic cocktail to sip on while you’re cooking or entertaining!

How to make my Maple Bourbon Cocktail

Impress your guests with your bartending skills! Simply combine some maple syrup, water, and bitters in a rocks glass and stir together. Add a large ice cube, pour bourbon on top, and if you are feeling fancy you can garnish with an orange peel and cinnamon stick. Yum!

How is Maple Syrup Made?

The leaves of maple trees produce sugar in the summer, which is stored as starch in the root tissues during the cold winters. Maple trees are tapped in February, but then producers wait until March and April to collect the sap, which is “sugaring season.” The warm weather initiates the Maple Trees to turn their stored starch back into sugar. As the tree mixes water from the ground with the sugar, it creates what is known as sap.

The back and forth of freezing temperatures at night and thawing temperatures during the day build up pressure in the trees which causes the sap to flow out of the tap holes. The sap then goes to the sugarhouse where it is put through a reverse osmosis machine, removing some of the water. The sap is then boiled, causing the water to evaporate and the sap to thicken as the sugars caramelize.

Once the syrup reaches 219 degrees F, it is drawn off, filtered, adjusted for density and graded for flavor and color. This is how we get the delicious maple syrup that you can add to your Maple Bourbon Cocktail!

Maple Nutrition

I use Maple Syrup as both a flavor and a sweetener in my Maple Bourbon Cocktail. Although Maple Syrup is still sugar and should be consumed in moderation, it does contain more nutritional benefits than white granulated sugar. It is a natural source of minerals like calcium, manganese, potassium, and magnesium. It has been used as a natural sweetener for years and also contains some antioxidants.

Why are Maple Syrups Different Colors?

As the season goes on, maple syrup gets darker and the flavor changes. A light golden maple syrup is typically made at the beginning of a maple season. It has a delicate flavor and people usually enjoy this type drizzled over pancakes, waffles, yogurt, or ice cream.

An amber colored maple syrup is the product of mid-maple season and is a good all-purpose syrup. It is full of maple flavor and is usually used on waffles, in salad dressings, cocktails, or barbecue sauces.

Later in the season you get a darker maple syrup with a more robust flavor, and at the very end of the season you get a very dark color with a strong flavor. These varieties is best used for cooking and baking when you want to have a strong maple flavor.

Try all the different types of maple syrup in the Maple Bourbon Cocktail and see which you prefer!