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Maple Old Fashioned
A spirit-forward sipper that's rich and easy with bourbon mellowed by maple syrup
Tyler Fleming
5th March at 03:23
I've been making this with 4 roses single barrel (high proof and high rye mash bill so I'm excluding the rye) and I am using a using cherry bourbon bitters and this is my favorite variation/adaptation of an old fashioned I've ever had
2nd March at 20:00
A 50/50 Canadian club and smoke ardbeg with an orange blush made this excellent cocktail even better. Probably my fav
22nd July 2024 at 16:54
Floodwoods.com maple syrup and beer and some ice top it up, it was nice. thanks for showing me the new way
24th June 2024 at 22:12
Just made this with Pikes Creek - was good- but not great - Tried again with a dash of normal Angostura plus the Orange bitters and was better more like a OF but still sweet will try with less Maple Syrup next around 7.5 ml
27th May 2024 at 10:53
Mellow and fragrant. This is a nice drink but I find myself missing the spice and warmth of the classic old fashioned recipe. Could be that my bourbon is not up to the task. I’m new to this cocktail making business and I wasn’t sure how I felt about bourbon. So I played it safe and bought myself a budget-friendly bottle of four roses. I’m keeping an eye on the comments of other bourbon drinkers to decide what I should buy after I’ve finished with the four roses.
9th October 2024 at 12:58
My go to for a regular Old Fashioned is Rittenhouse Rye.
For a bourbon Old Fashioned, I would go with a mid-tier bourbon such as Four Roses Small Batch, Elijah Craig Small Batch, New Riff Bottled in Bond, or for a more budget option Evan Williams Bottled in Bond or Old Grandad Bottled in Bond. In a cocktail where the spirit is so centered, the added flavor the mid-tier brings helps elevate the drink.
But you can also add spice and warmth by adding Angostura bitters instead of, or in addition to, the orange bitters. Bourbon + orange bitters is all about mellow, so turn to a rye whiskey (Rittenhouse) or high-rye bourbon (New Riff, Old Grandad) and Angostura bitters for warmth and spice.
For a bourbon Old Fashioned, I would go with a mid-tier bourbon such as Four Roses Small Batch, Elijah Craig Small Batch, New Riff Bottled in Bond, or for a more budget option Evan Williams Bottled in Bond or Old Grandad Bottled in Bond. In a cocktail where the spirit is so centered, the added flavor the mid-tier brings helps elevate the drink.
But you can also add spice and warmth by adding Angostura bitters instead of, or in addition to, the orange bitters. Bourbon + orange bitters is all about mellow, so turn to a rye whiskey (Rittenhouse) or high-rye bourbon (New Riff, Old Grandad) and Angostura bitters for warmth and spice.
24th June 2024 at 14:28
Try a more Rye forward Bourbon or it could be the lack on Angostura Bitters in this recipe. I like Old Forester which in my opinion makes a great old fashioned - must try with Maple Syrup, I normally go with Rich Syrup but might mix a batch..
21st January 2024 at 12:43
A go-to. Whiskey and maple always go hand-in-hand.
10th October 2023 at 12:25
Made to Simon's recipe above last night- pretty damn good...roll on to this evening and same ratios (and using Makers Mark 46) but used 2 dashes of The Bitter Truth's Peach bitters in place of orange bitters. Wonderful aroma and wonder taste for after dinner.
6th August 2023 at 18:44
Excellent. Use Canadian Club second time; not sure if it was better but it felt more appropriate.
21st January 2023 at 20:28
Indeed an easier-to-make version of the Benton's Old-Fashioned with bacon fatwashed Bourbon. Thanks!
14th January 2023 at 20:26
To take this up a notch, I made bacon fat-washed bourbon (I used Maker's Mark) which works beautifully with the maple syrup. Served with a crisp cooked slice of the smoked streaky bacon laid over the top of the old-fashioned glass as a garnish.
27th December 2022 at 00:01
Very nice, and easy way to make an old fashioned. Tried also with aged rum (which was sweeter, so less syrup next time).
21st November 2022 at 13:49
Substitute walnut bitters for a Maple Walnut Old Fashioned.
22nd November 2024 at 08:32
I kept the orange bitters and added a dash of walnut bitters and I think that works well, too!
16th October 2022 at 23:49
Far too sweet
22nd November 2024 at 08:30
I feel like this really depends on your bourbon... I used a 50/50 mix of Wild Turkey bourbon 101 & 81, plus Wild Turkey Rye 101 and it's not overly sweet imo.
16th February 2023 at 18:58
Same for me - but I can recommend using Rye instead of Bourbon that worked perfect for me
21st January 2022 at 19:18
Substituting Canadian Club for the bourbon, and adding a squeeze of grapefruit juice, makes this a Randy’s Old-Fashioned, as used to be on the menu of the wonderful Dragonfly in Edinburgh. One of my favourite drinks in on of my favourite watering holes.
22nd January 2022 at 23:18
Good to hear! Many thanks. I'll add Randy's Old-fashioned as soon as photographed.
22nd January 2022 at 22:16
It was very painstakingly stirred with the syrup and bitters and a large cube of ice, adding the whisky a little at a time. I always tipped the bartender generously!
26th December 2021 at 01:39
I make this with a good rye (lot 40 or similar), I link the spiciness it offers, sorry Canadian here.
11th February 2022 at 02:19
Canadian by choice here, I usually use 100% Rye Whisky, 2 splashes of orange bitters 1 splash of Angostura and just a bit of Maple or Agave Syrup. cheers!
Anonymous
4th October 2021 at 12:41
Definitely used more maple syrup, it was tasty though. About 22.5 ml
Anonymous
4th December 2020 at 19:22
Freeze some Halen Mon smoked water for the ice to take it up a notch.
17th October 2020 at 19:41
Tiny little bit of sugar syrup for even more sweetness and the tiniest (like, super tiny) little drop of lemonade.
12th October 2020 at 19:09
I like this best made with three dashes of Reagan's Orange Bitters instead of the Angostura.
20th October 2021 at 17:58
Agreed. I've switched to orange bitters in the recipe above. Many thanks for the feedback.
17th October 2021 at 19:08
I also prefer this with orange bitters - I use Fee Brothers. It rounds out and accents the maple syrup.
9th October 2020 at 20:16
I added 1 dash of fee brothers aztec chocolate bitters. Perfect !!!