You can't have pancakes without maple syrup, and during this season, I wouldn't dare mix cocktails without the amber goo.
Like so many foods these days, maple syrup is making the leap from the plate to the glass and can be found on many seasonal cocktail menus. Once you taste a tipple made with maple syrup, you'll see why. That smoky, honeyed warmth gives more complexity to a drink than most simple syrups (sugar and water, dissolved). Plus, it plays really well with quintessential chilly weather-friendly spirits such as bourbon and rye, as well as applejack apple brandy.
Just remember to get 100-percent maple syrup, not artificially-tinted corn syrup crap (you're on notice, Aunt Jemima).
And don't let the grading lingo — Grade A, B, etc. — spook you. All you need to know is Grade A tends to have a milder flavor and darker-hued Grade B, typically used in baking, has a sharper maple taste. For most cocktails, go with Grade A, since the funkier stuff can overwhelm the other ingredients. However, I often like Grade B maple syrup for an earthier Maple Old Fashioned. As with all things cocktail, remember to go with what tastes best to you.
Incidentally, I predict that maple sugar will soon be as popular a cocktail ingredient as agave nectar has become. Agave nectar, for those not sufficiently faddish (read: dorky) about health and cocktail trends, is derived from the same plant used to make tequila. Like maple syrup, agave has a honey-like quality.
As with most cocktails, the simpler, the better. Too many fussy ingredients, and you've got a mess instead of a tasty and complex drink.
Among my favorite maple syrup cocktails is the Maple Leaf, which is basically a whiskey sour that swaps out simple syrup for maple syrup.
The Maple Leaf
2 ounces rye or bourbon (I prefer rye, which is spicier)
3/4 ounce maple syrup
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
In shaker, add all ingredients, along with generous handful of ice cubes and shake vigorously. Strain over ice (bigger the cubes, the better) in rocks or any short glass. If you're feeling ambitious, garnish with cinnamon stick.
Maple syrup also makes for a nifty twist on that most traditional of whiskey cocktails, the Old Fashioned.
Maple Old Fashioned
Into the bottom of a glass, lie one big Band-Aid-size piece of orange peel, outside facing down (freshly peeled). Add 1/2 ounce of maple syrup and one or two dashes of Angostura bitters. With muddler (or any blunt thumb-size implement) press firmly (but not too firmly) on the peel in several places to release oils from the orange skin. Add 2 ounces of rye or bourbon. Give a quick stir or two to dissolve the maple syrup. Add one or two large ice cubes. Give another few stirs with spoon.
Deliciously autumnal, the Jack Rabbit Cocktail uses applejack, a brandy made of apples that was among the first hooch made in America. Laird's makes great stuff, though feel free to try calvados, applejack's fancier (and pricier) French cousin.
Jack Rabbit Cocktail
2 ounces applejack
1/2 ounce maple syrup
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Combine all ingredients into ice-filled shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with small apple wedge.
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2011.