Maple syrup bottle handles questioned by blogger

What is the handle on a maple syrup bottle for? That’s the justified question that has been posed by a blogger known by the pen name ‘Popkin’ on the irreverent Boing Boing website.

The tiny handle that sits to the side of just about every maple syrup bottle piqued the interest of the writer, who felt compelled to write an article questioning its purpose.

Popkin pondered:

“This maple syrup handle is the kind of thing that I’ve always noticed, but I’ve never actually thought about. I’ve never attempted to pick the syrup up by this handle and I don’t think I’ll try (because I can envision how that might end)”.

Rather than having a functional purpose, the handle on maple syrup bottles is predominantly related to nostalgia. It harks back to the days when traditional ceramic jugs were used to hold and pour natural maple syrup.

These large earthenware or stoneware jugs were much heavier than today’s maple syrup bottles, weighing several pounds, so the bigger handles were needed to lift and carry them safely.

Maple syrup producers eventually transitioned to smaller glass bottles, but kept this design feature as a nod to a bygone era.

The handle may be little more than a marketing feature, or a visual cue that customers associate with a natural food that has been enjoyed for centuries. Either way, many would look at a maple syrup bottle without a handle as something peculiar, regardless of its size.