Fall. Vibrant colors, crispy leaves underfoot, and fall flavors. Pumpkin spice, apple cider, and, of course, maple syrup and maple cocktails.
Maple is a year-round flavor, especially for New Englanders, but there's just something special about the way maple bourbon or whiskey cocktails taste no matter the season. It's like when you duplicate your grandma's cookie recipe. These maple whiskey cocktails will bring fall to you.
Maple Bourbon Bacon Old-Fashioned
There are half-dozen ways to make a maple bourbon bacon old-fashioned. No single one is better or more notable than another, but this one is the easiest.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces maple bourbon
- ½ ounce bacon simple syrup
- 2-3 dashes orange bitters
- 1-2 dashes aromatic bitters
- Ice
- Half a bacon strip for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, add ice, maple bourbon, bacon simple syrup, and bitters.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with a bacon strip.
Quick Tip
Infuse your maple bourbon with bacon instead of using bacon simple syrup for an all-in-one breakfast flavor.
Golden Leaf
Golden honey meets the flavors of maple syrup for a cocktail that represents that first perfectly golden leaf of fall. Those days where summer and fall mingle.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces maple bourbon
- ¾ ounce honey liqueur
- 2½ ounces apple cider
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1-2 dashes orange bitters
- Ice
- Lemon peel for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, maple bourbon, honey liqueur, apple cider, lemon juice, and orange bitters.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with a lemon peel, if desired.
Maple Irish Coffee
Skip the usual fall coffee flavors for one that'll light up your senses and inspire you to take a walk on the next crisp autumn day.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces maple bourbon
- ½ ounce cinnamon liqueur
- 5 ounces freshly brewed coffee
- 1 ounce Irish cream, optional
Instructions
- Warm a mug by filling it with hot water.
- After the mug is warm to touch, pour out the water.
- In the warm mug, add maple bourbon, cinnamon liqueur, coffee, and if desired, Irish cream.
- Stir to mix.
Maple Whiskey Hot Toddy
You can leave the sticky bottle of honey in the cabinet for this hot toddy. Which is a relief in my house, because even just prying it free is a full workout.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces maple whiskey
- ¾ ounce amaretto or hazelnut liqueur
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1-2 dashes cinnamon bitters
- Lemon wheel and cinnamon stick for garnish
Instructions
- Warm a mug by filling it with hot water.
- After the mug is warm to touch, pour out the water.
- In the mug, add maple whiskey, amaretto, lemon juice, and cinnamon bitters.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with a lemon wheel and cinnamon stick.
Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour
Maple syrup is more than just sweet. There's a touch of earthy tartness hidden just below the surface. And this maple sour highlights those notes in the best ways.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces maple bourbon
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce cinnamon simple syrup
- 1 egg white OR 1 ounce aquafaba
- Ice
- Bitters for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add maple bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white.
- Dry shake for approximately 45 seconds to mix ingredients and create a froth.
- Add ice to the shaker.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with three to four drops of bitters in varying sizes.
Maple Bourbon Smash
Citrus on citrus on citrus. The amount of vitamin C and soothing maple flavors make this the next best thing to cold medicine.
Ingredients
- 2-3 orange wedges
- 1-2 lemon wedges
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- 2 ounces maple bourbon
- Ice
- Mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle the orange and lemon wedges with simple syrup.
- Add ice and bourbon.
- Shake to chill.
- Double strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with a mint sprig.
Maple Old-Fashioned
This maple old-fashioned may call for maple syrup in the place of simple syrup, but make no mistake. You can use maple bourbon and add just a dash of maple syrup to turn the flavor dial up to ten.
New York in the Fall
Instead of the usual rye whiskey you find in a Manhattan, you're going to take a trip to the Big Apple in the fall by using maple whiskey instead.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces maple whiskey
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- 1-2 dashes aromatic bitters
- Ice
- Two cocktail cherries for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a coupe or Nick and Nora glass.
- In a mixing glass, add maple whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with two cocktail cherries, pierced together on a single cocktail skewer.
Leaf Peeping
This is the maple cocktail you'll enjoy on those days you're admiring the colors of the leaves while the temperature lingers in the high 70s.
Ingredients
- Honey and cinnamon sugar for rim
- 1½ ounces maple whiskey
- 1 ounce apple cider
- ¾ ounce homemade margarita mix
- ½ ounce orange liqueur
- Ice
Instructions
- To prepare rim, dip the rim of the glass in the honey.
- With the cinnamon sugar on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the sugar to coat.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, maple whiskey, margarita mix, apple cider, and orange liqueur.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into the prepared glass over fresh ice.
Maple Sazerac
It might be maple season, but we're heading down to New Orleans to enjoy a Sazerac. After all, there are few whiskey cocktails more famous.
Ingredients
- 2-4 dashes absinthe
- 2 ounces maple whiskey
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- 2-3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
- Ice
- Orange ribbon for garnish
Instructions
- In a rocks glass, add absinthe.
- Swirl absinthe to coat the inside of the glass — do not discard.
- In the prepared glass, add ice, maple whiskey, simple syrup, and bitters.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with an orange ribbon.
You Say Basic Like It's a Bad Thing
Come, gather round. It's time I was honest about something: I love fall flavors. I love pumpkin. I love cider. I love maple. I might share some DNA with Jack Skellington.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces maple whiskey
- ¾ ounce pumpkin syrup
- ½ ounce cinnamon liqueur
- 4 ounces apple cider
- Ice
- Dehydrated apple slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, maple whiskey, pumpkin syrup, cinnamon liqueur, and apple cider.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with a dehydrated apple slice.
Nuts for Maple
There are no surprises hidden away in this nutty maple bourbon cocktail. But if you're the type who loves to add a little surprise, rinse the rocks glass with Ancho Reyes.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce maple bourbon
- 1 ounce walnut bourbon
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- 2-3 dashes almond bitters
- Ice
- Orange ribbon for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, add ice, maple bourbon, walnut bourbon, simple syrup, and bitters.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
Harvest Maple Martini
A martini? For whiskey lovers? The stars have aligned, and they're bringing maple with them.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces maple whiskey
- ½ ounce blanc vermouth
- ¼ ounce Bénédictine
- 1-2 dashes orange bitters
- Ice
- Cherry for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass.
- In a mixing glass, add ice, maple whiskey, blanc vermouth, Bénédictine, and bitters.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with a cherry.
Maple Mixology Magic
Tap into the flavors of fall while you watch the leaves change color or as the tulips and blossoms spring to life around you. Wherever you are and whatever the time of the year, maple whiskey cocktails are ready to be as beloved as your favorite scarf and coziest jacket. Where are you going this fall?
