Maple Syrup for Cocktails (and Pancakes)
Now that fall has arrived, I often turn to richer flavors in my cocktails. On a recent visit to The Violet Hour here in Chicago, I tried a lovely cocktail created by one of their mixologists, Kyle, called The Orchard. It contains apple brandy, fresh lemon, housemade pimento dram, and maple syrup. Not just any maple syrup, I later learned, but Blis bourbon-barrel aged maple syrup.
A delightful drink indeed, full of great fall flavors - fresh apple, spices, and maple. As the evening went on, I talked my friendly bartender into letting me try a bit of the maple syrup on its own. Wow. Absolutely delicious - and I often don’t care for real maple syrup (my momma raised me on Log Cabin “maple tasting syrup” so that’s what I usually put on my pancakes, much to my hubby’s dismay).
So I’m off to order my own bottle of Blis, both for use in cocktails and for breakfast. I can see that this lovely syrup has some real potential. In fact, I think I’ll soon be trying the Maple Leaf cocktail and maybe the Applejack Rabbit.
