Cocktails with Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a natural sweetener made by boiling down the sap of maple trees until its sugars concentrate.
Substitutes for Maple syrup
A rich syrup matches the density; nothing matches the wood, because that flavor only appears when real sap is boiled. Judge a substitute on sweetness per milliliter rather than on volume — maple is about two-thirds sugar — roughly 1.4 times the sugar per milliliter of a one-to-one syrup.
Often confused with
Pancake or table syrup
Corn syrup with maple flavoring and no maple sap in it. It is sweeter, thinner in flavor and cheaper, and in a two-ingredient drink the difference is obvious.
Dark and Very Dark grades
Later-season sap gives a stronger, more mineral syrup. It stands up better in a spirit-forward drink and overpowers a delicate one. Golden is delicate enough to disappear in a whiskey drink, so the darker grades earn their place there.
Description
It takes about 40 liters of sap to make one of syrup, and the grades run from delicate golden to robust dark: the dark is tapped later in the season and speaks louder.
Storage
An unopened bottle keeps almost indefinitely. Once open it belongs in the fridge — maple syrup does grow mold, and a jug left in a warm cupboard will show it. Skim, boil and strain saves a moldy bottle in a kitchen; behind a bar it is easier to throw it out.
