This fall, we’re sipping a maple old fashioned (our Northern Michigan riff on the iconic cocktail). We suggest you do, too.
Aptly named, the old-fashioned cocktail has been around for more than 200 years. Said to have been the first cocktail to ever appear in print when published by The Balance and Columbian Repository in 1806, the classic can also be traced to a private social club in Louisville, Kentucky that is credited with popularizing the drink in the 1880s.
Whichever birth story you subscribe to, the original was historically made by muddling a cube of sugar with a few drops of Angostura bitters, before adding a piece of ice, whiskey and a citrus peel. Over the centuries, plenty of bartenders have riffed on the drink. During prohibition, they muddled orange slices and cocktail cherries in the bottom of the glass to mask the subpar spirits available then. In more modern times, whiskey has been replaced with rye, or even tequila. Just across the water, Wisconsin’s state drink is a brandy old-fashioned— which is made with brandy and 7UP.
Craving more seasonal cocktails? View the full list of Last Call recipes.
Here in the Mitten, the riff we like best is much closer to the 19th-century original, but replaces the sugar cube with an ingredient that is even older than the drink itself—maple syrup. This version is at once sweet enough for your grandmother yet still strong enough for the most astute whiskey connoisseur in the group, making it an ideal way to start (or end) any holiday reunion.
Maple Old-Fashioned
Serves 1
- 2 ounces whiskey
- 1⁄2 ounce Michigan maple syrup
- 3 dashes Angostura bitters
- Orange peel
Into a mixing glass or mason jar filled with ice cubes, add the whiskey, maple syrup and bitters and use a bar spoon to stir for about 30 seconds or so, to release water from the ice. Place a singular rock of ice in an old-fashioned glass and strain the whiskey mixture as you pour it into the glass over the cube. Garnish with an orange peel and serve.
Make Next: On The Table: Creamy Mushroom & Turkey Soup
Stacey Brugeman is a 20-year food and beverage journalist. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Saveur, Travel + Leisure, Eater and on Instagram @staceybrugeman.
Dave Weidner is an editorial photographer and videographer based in Northern Michigan. Follow him on Instagram and Facebook @dzwphoto.
Sarah Peschel, @22speschel, is a stylist and photographer with an appreciation for all things local agriculture, food and drink.
