Maple syrup recommended for new spin on ‘Old Fashioned’

A writer, chef and traveller has lifted the lid on an overlooked enhancer for a famous cocktail – the Old Fashioned.

Traditionally made by stirring whiskey, sugar and bitters together with ice, then finishing with an orange twist, the Old Fashioned is one of the first drinks to be considered a modern-day cocktail, having been enjoyed since the early 1800s.

Writing for the Tasting Table platform, food & beverage scribe A.J. Forget has advocated the modernising of the Old Fashioned with 100% pure maple syrup.

Forget explained his rationale as follows:

“Just as it may have once been more common for such a drink to be made with brandy rather than bourbon, so too can the other ingredients be carefully replaced. For an autumnal take, maple syrup may just be the perfect tweak.”

The journalist went on to point out the greater depth of flavour that maple syrup can provide to the drink, in comparison with refined sugar.

An Old Fashioned is one of many cocktails which are conducive to a dribble of the beloved natural sweetener.

In whiskey sours, the rich sweetness of the syrup tempers the sharp bite of fresh lemon juice for a moreish, balanced profile. Maple syrup also finds a potential ‘dancing partner’ in Maple Bee’s Knees, the gin classic, in which it can replace traditional honey with maple syrup for added depth. Then there’s the Maple Mule, the archetypal maple syrup cocktail, which combines bourbon or maple-flavoured whiskey with fresh lime juice and spicy ginger beer.