Maple Bourbon Smash: Sweet and Boozy

Sweet and boozy, the Maple Bourbon Smash is ideal to pair with brunch or sip at night by the fire. Follow our easy Maple Bourbon Smash recipe and craft the delightful cocktail at home in just five minutes.

Bourbon Maple SmashPhoto by2foodtrippers

We started our mixology journey into as a fun side project in 2020 after the world shut down. And, to our pleasant surprise, we discovered a shared passion for both crafting and drinking cocktails that has continued with no sign of ending.

This journey has introduced us to drinks that we like and others that we love. A few, like the Maple Bourbon Smash, have joined our short list of cocktail favorites.

What Is a Maple Bourbon Smash?

The Maple Bourbon Smash will look familiar if you've imbibed an Old Fashioned or Manhattan in the past. However, the Maple Bourbon Smash distinguishes itself from those classic bourbon cocktails in a couple key ways...

First, amber-colored Grade A Maple syrup adds a rich sweetness to the Maple Bourbon Smash that's the opposite of cloying.

Second, this cocktail's non-alcoholic ingredients, maple syrup and orange juice, are pantry staples. They also feature prominently in weekend breakfasts and brunches.

Ingredients

The Bourbon Maple Smash cocktail may be the ultimate pantry cocktail based on its familiar list of ingredients:

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1 ounce maple syrup (grade A amber)Bourbon
• 1 ounce orange juice (freshly squeezed)
• 1 ice cube (large)
• orange peel (garnish)
• small ice cubes (for mixing)

Selecting the right liquor is a priority when you craft a cocktail with just a few ingredients. We choose to use Four Roses bourbon when we craft Maple Bourbon Smashes at home.

Four Roses is a great cocktail bourbon since its balanced flavors are relatively mild with hints of both vanilla and caramel. It's also one of the more affordable bourbons produced in Kentucky and has a 40% ABV, the lowest possible ABV for Kentucky bourbon.

Maple Syrup

Typically produced in Vermont and Canada, maple syrup is a product usually served with pancakes, french toast and waffles. In a culinary twist of fate, the natural sweetener is a great cocktail ingredient too.

We like to use amber Grade A maple syrup when we craft Maple Bourbon Smash cocktails at home to achieve the rich flavor that we adore. Canadian cities like Montreal sell the sweet elixir in cans at local markets. In Lisbon, we consider ourselves lucky to have found bottles of Canadian maple syrup at a nearby grocery store.

How to Craft a Maple Bourbon Smash

Despite being highly potable, the Maple Bourbon Smash is ridiculously easy to craft at home.

Our recipe only has a few ingredients and doesn't require any special tools or equipment. Since we don't literally smash the orange, the only equipment we use are a Japanese jigger, bar spoon and cocktail strainer.

The first step is to measure the bourbon, maple syrup and freshly squeezed orange juice. We use a Japanese jigger to avoid spillage and ensure accurate measurements.

The second step is to pour the three liquids into a mixing glass after you measure each. We typically use the base of our Boston Shaker but any mixing glass will work just fine.

The third step is to add ice to the mixing glass (or shaker base) and stir the liquids with a bar spoon until they're mixed and chilled. This step should take about 20 seconds.

The fourth step is to drop a jumbo ice cube into a lowball glass. While you could you use smaller ice cubes, the jumbo ice cube melts more slowly and doesn't dilute the cocktail. Plus, it looks super sophisticated and will impress your friends.

The final step is to strain the cocktail into a lowball glass and add an orange twist as garnish.

We like to express the rim of the glass with the orange twist and recommend that you do the same.

Variations

Even if you fall in love with this Bourbon Maple Smash recipe, you may want to experiment to make it your own. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Add a few splashes of Angostura bitters for an herbaceous twist.
• Replace the orange juice with lemon juice to create a tarter and more summery flavor profile.
• Replace the orange peel garnish with a sprig of mint or sage.
• Replace the orange juice with grapefruit juice to craft a Brown Derby cocktail.
• Replace the maple syrup with a sugar cube and the orange juice with Angostura bitters to craft a classic Old Fashioned cocktail.
• Top with seltzer if you're feeling bubbly.

This recipe was originally published on 2foodtrippers. Consider subscribing to 2foodtrippers if you enjoyed it.