Maple Rum Old-Fashioned

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (275 ratings)

Glass:

Photographed in a Libbey Old Fashioned 11oz

Ingredients:
2 fl oz Caribbean blended rum aged 6-10 years
512 fl oz Maple syrup
2 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

  1. Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

How to make:

  1. STIR all ingredients with ice.
  2. STRAIN into ice-filled glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of block ice).

Garnish:

  1. EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 8/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 6/10

Review:

Well-aged rum mellowed and sweetened by maple syrup. A spirit-forward sipper that's rich and easy.

View readers' comments

Variations/similar cocktails:

Maple Old-Fashioned

Nutrition:

One serving of Maple Rum Old-Fashioned contains 218 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.4 standard drinks
  • 26.14% alc./vol. (52.29° proof)
  • 19.2 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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23rd March at 00:16
This is my favourite cocktail but I us 60ml El Dorado 21 (the 15 is good too), 10ml maple syrup, 2 shakes of ango bitters, 1 shake of chocolate bitters and two sprays of Linden Leaf Orange cocktail spray (it's so much more consistent than expressing orange oil from peels).
James Kittock’s Avatar James Kittock
11th March at 04:56
I went with 1 oz of Diplomático Mantuano, 1/2 oz Appleton Estate Signature, 1/2 oz Hamilton 86, and just 1/4 oz maple syrup. Perfect sipper. I might like it more than a bourbon old fashioned…
8th February at 13:18
This is perfect when I'm in the mood for rum but don't feel like going full tiki. Using Appleton Estate 12 Year Old, maple syrup, and just a few drops of Elemakule Tiki Bitters to add a touch of spice—it's easy to make and very, very easy to drink. Will definitely be trying it again with a few other rum/bitters combinations!
Graeme McPherson’s Avatar Graeme McPherson
24th January at 10:46
Like a previous reviewer I used Appleton Estate 8 Reserve and I have become a big fan of the Maple Rum Old Fashioned. A very smooth late night sipper.
Justin Aniello’s Avatar Justin Aniello
7th December 2025 at 01:07
Right balance of sweet and boozy, I used Appleton 8 yr and may try again with something more complex next time (thinking Smith & Cross to get some banana flavor as well).
Tuber Magnatum’s Avatar Tuber Magnatum
23rd October 2025 at 23:00
An excellent cocktail. Need to do back to back with Maple Old Fashioned to see whether I prefer rum version over bourbon / rye version. I would say though that for me 12.5 ml of Maple Syrup (real Canadian syrup!) made this a little sweet for my palate and I would argue that on the sweet sour scale above, it is closer to a 4. Will try again with less.
James Kittock’s Avatar James Kittock
11th March at 04:58
I went with 1/ 4 oz of syrup ~7.5ml and it was plenty sweet. Mine was real Vermont Maple syrup, the best kind ;-)
A J Wilson’s Avatar A J Wilson
3rd October 2025 at 20:08
Works nicely smoked! I used the Sage / Breville Smoking Gun, which I recommend 🙂
14th May 2025 at 23:10
Love this one! I used my Ron Del Barrilito three star, aged 6+ years I picked up in Puerto Rico after a tour.
And some pure Canadian maple syrup…excellent !!!
1st January 2025 at 00:49
Really enjoyed it , I used Appleton Estate and tasted really good with the maple syrup. While it won't replace my bourbon old fashions it definitely is a good alternative to switch things up from time to time
Michael Doherty-Kardos’ Avatar Michael Doherty-Kardos
26th January 2024 at 18:47
I make an alternative, I use Don Papa’s Masskara Rum, Orange Angostura Bitters and Maple Syrup, as a combination, it’s next level, this beautiful warmth from the rum and maple, and a lovely orange freshness from the bitters. It’s a beautiful short cocktail.
Mark Messingham’s Avatar Mark Messingham
20th December 2024 at 23:09
I’ve just made one as per the Diffords recipe, said to my wife it might be nice with a dash of Orange Angostura Bitters!
Will try your recipe out next. Thank you!