cocktail
Maple Old Fashioned
This is an Old Fashioned with maple in place of sugar: 2 oz bourbon or rye, two dashes of Angostura, and a quarter ounce of amber maple that softens rye’s pepper and pulls bourbon’s vanilla into a warmer register. The syrup blooms into the spirit and gives the drink a woodsmoke-adjacent sweetness rather than cloying candy notes.
Bartender note: use one large, clear cube and stir in the glass for 15–20 seconds until the glass chills and the drink slightly thickens — small ice dilutes too fast. Zero-proof: swap in a nonalcoholic whiskey, keep maple at 0.25 oz with 2 dashes Angostura, and top with 1 oz cold club soda for lift.
Do Ahead
Maple and whiskey can be pre-batched same day and refrigerated; bitters and the orange peel should be added to order for freshness and aroma.
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon or rye whiskey
- 0.25 oz pure maple syrup (Grade A amber)
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Wide orange peel, expressed (garnish)
What Done Looks Like
The drink should look clear and deep amber with tiny oil beads shimmering on top; the glass side should feel chilled but not frosted. If the cube edges are still crisp and the texture feels slightly viscous rather than watery, dilution is right—stop stirring once the maple is fully integrated.
Instructions
- 01 Step 1 rewritten: Chill the rocks glass in the freezer or fill it with ice and water while you build. Pour 0.25 oz maple syrup and 2 dashes Angostura into a small mixing glass or the chilled rocks glass and stir briefly with a barspoon until the syrup thins and the bitters are evenly distributed (about 5–8 seconds).
- 02 Step 2 rewritten: Add 2 oz bourbon or rye to the mixing glass, then fill the mixing glass with cracked or cubed ice and stir for ~30 seconds until well chilled and properly diluted (mixing glass should sweat and the liquid should be very cold).
- 03 Step 3 rewritten: Discard the ice/water from the serving rocks glass if you used it to chill. Place one large clear ice cube in the chilled rocks glass and double-strain the mixed cocktail into it to preserve clarity and ensure even sweetness.
- 04 Step 4 rewritten: Express a wide orange peel over the drink to spray the oils across the surface, run the peel around the rim, then drop the peel into the glass (oil-expressed side down). Serve over the large cube.
If It Goes Sideways
- Drink tastes flabby and sweet, add 2–3 drops more Angostura and 0.25 oz whiskey, then stir briefly to bring back spice and structure.
- Maple doesn’t integrate and sinks, stir longer over a large cube or warm the maple in the glass with the bitters before adding ice.
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