It’s sugaring off season! It’s that magical time of year when everybody’s favorite sweetener – maple syrup! – is being harvested. So what better way to celebrate and get your sap flowing, than a good old fashioned Maple Leaf Cocktail, the oldest, most revered maple syrup cocktail in bartending history.

If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of stumbling into this elixir, you may be thinking: Maple syrup in a cocktail?! To which reply: Well.. why the heck not?!

Just like simple syrup (sugar dissolved in water), maple syrup balances out the sour elements of a drink that contains citrus. Buuuut, unlike simple syrup, maple syrup also delivers a caramel-like depth and flavor. It especially blends well with brown spirits. Try adding it to any shaken whiskey drink and you will become hooked.

Unlike my “Cough Syrup Cocktail” (click here for the recipe), this cocktail has a far more balanced taste, and a refined flavor profile. The citrus is really prevalent, with the syrup giving it a unique finish and a characteristic taste that intertwines on the tongue with the bourbon’s notes.

And.. it’s bourbon. COME ON! Since the dawn of American history bourbon has been the cherished standby of the refined palate. It has been deemed the “refuge from the candy cocktail plague”.

Bourbon is undoubtedly a nostalgic drink. You can’t just drink this cocktail while, I dunno, playing video games or whatever. This is a drink to be savored. This drink demands that you crank up some Al Bowlly and sit on a secluded porch in your favorite fedora. Enjoy!

The Maple Leaf Cocktail

2 shots Bourbon Whiskey

1 shot Pure Maple Syrup

1 shot Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

It is VERY important that you use pure maple syrup. While “maple flavored syrup” works in the same way that simple syrup does, to bring out the subtle flavors of the bourbon and enhance the drink with a true maple flavor (which is kind of the whole point), you MUST use the real deal – pure maple syrup!

To make, fill a small rocks glass with ice. Combine the bourbon, maple syrup, lemon juice and some ice cubes in a shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into the rocks glass. Then enjoy!

Don’t forget to crank up your turn of the century music whilst imbibing! 

If you haven’t already, be sure to enter to win the Mohawk Valley Pure Maple Syrup giveaway! Raffle ends on February 14, 2014!