Fall foliage, cows on pasture, the green mountains, and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream—these are just a few things that people think of as quintessential to Vermont. Of course, no list representing Vermont is complete without the sweet treat we call maple syrup. We take great pride in our maple syrup here, which is why we celebrate it for an entire month every year. 

The Maple 100 takes place between September and October, and is a month-long celebration that includes maple-centered events and deals. It’s a great opportunity to learn about maple products and the many businesses that make and utilize them. At Mad River Distillers, our Maple Cask Rum is aged in barrels that once held Wood’s Rum Barrel Aged Maple Syrup. We also provide our bourbon barrels to Old City Syrup for their Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup. That isn’t our only maple connection though. We also incorporate maple syrup into a variety of cocktail recipes! It can add some extra flavor, and works well as a substitute for simple syrup.

Here, we share a mix of Mad River Distillers cocktail recipes with maple syrup as an ingredient, starting with our most popular cocktail on the Burlington Tasting Room menu:

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker over ice. Shake briefly. Strain contents into a Double Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with Angostura Bitters.

Instructions:
In a shaker, combine Straight Bourbon or Maple Cask Rum, the stout simple syrup and lemon juice. Add ice to the shaker, and shake hard for about 15 seconds. Strain contents into a chilled coupe, and enjoy!

To make the stout syrup:
To make the stout simple syrup, bring 2 - 16 oz. cans of the Maple Breakfast Stout to just below a rolling simmer in a saucepan.* Heat for 2-3 hours, whisking every 1/2 hour. Remove the froth that forms at the top. Once you have reduced the stout to about half (16 oz.), add sugar and stir until it is fully dissolved. Set the simple syrup aside to cool.

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake, then double strain into a coupe glass.

Instructions:
Heat the water to almost boiling and steep the tea for 4 minutes. Discard the tea bags. Add in the maple syrup. Stir to combine and set to the side to cool. In a shaker, pour espresso, rum, milk, and cooled chai over ice. Shake for about 8-10 seconds. Double strain into 4 martini glasses, and garnish with star anise.

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients except for the club soda (or seltzer) in a tall glass filled with ice. Stir to incorporate ingredients, then top with the club soda or seltzer. Garnish with a lime wedge.

To make Mint Simple Syrup:
Combine 3 cups of simple syrup (a 1:1 ratio of sugar dissolved in hot water) with 1 cup of pressed mint leaves. Blanch the mint in boiling water for 15 seconds, then immediately remove the mint leaves and immerse them in ice water for 1 minute. Strain the leaves from the ice water. Blend the cooled simple syrup with the mint leaves for 1 minute, then strain well. Store the cooled mint simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks.

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake, then strain contents into a coupe glass. Serve and enjoy!

Instructions:
Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice. Shake briefly. Strain contents into a Highball glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake for 8-10 seconds. Strain contents into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with cinnamon or cocoa.

You might be wondering how we make our Maple Cask Rum. This rum starts as our First Run Rum, which is distilled from 100% demerara sugar. We lend our used rum barrels to Wood's Vermont Syrup Company, which they use to make their Rum Barrel Aged Maple Syrup. The barrels are then returned to us, and we transfer our First Run Rum into these maple-cured barrels. The result is a smooth, bright rum with a nose of tropical fruits and butterscotch flavors. 

We offer another product using our Maple Cask Rum—our Maple Fig Madhattan, which is a ready-to-drink spin on the classic Manhattan cocktail made with Black Fig Vodka by Black Infusions and bitters. To pick up a bottle of either maple product, visit our Purchase page to see where you can find a bottle near you, or stop by a Tasting Room. You can also find bottles of Wood’s Maple Syrup and Old City Syrup at our Burlington Tasting Room, in addition to other maple products. Cheers!

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Written and published by Brianne Lucas on September 17, 2023.