Smoked Maple
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 25.6% ABV ∙
The Smoked Maple is a peated whisky sour of apricot brandy, maple syrup and orange juice, shaken and served up in a coupe. Silky and cold, with a whisper of campfire smoke cutting through the syrupy sweetness before a bright citrus snap lingers on the finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Peated single malt whisky 60 mlApricot brandy liqueur 10 mlMaple syrup 10 mlOrange juice 10 mlSaline solution 1 dash
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Shake hard and fine-strain — the whisky's peat and the maple syrup need full aeration to bind, not just chill.
- A single dash of saline solution rounds out sweetness without reading as salty — don't skip it if you have it.
- Express the orange twist directly over the glass right before serving so the citrus oils sit on top of the aroma.
History
The Smoked Maple is a modern whisky sour variation built on peated single malt whisky, apricot liqueur, maple syrup, and orange juice. It is traced to a cocktail discovered in 2009 at Dylanbar in Dublin, Ireland, with the maple syrup and peaty Scotch giving the drink its name and smoky-sweet profile. No named bartender or fuller creation story for the original Dublin drink has been documented, and the recipe in current circulation is described as an adaptation of that 2009 find rather than a verbatim original.
FAQ
What is in a Smoked Maple cocktail?
Peated single malt whisky, apricot brandy liqueur, maple syrup, fresh orange juice, and a dash of saline solution, shaken and fine-strained into a coupe with an orange twist. The peated whisky gives it a smoky backbone that plays against the maple and apricot sweetness.
Is a Smoked Maple shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The maple syrup, orange juice, and apricot liqueur need the aeration and quick dilution of a shake to blend smoothly with the whisky, unlike a stirred, all-spirit drink.
Can maple syrup be smoked?
Yes, maple syrup can be cold-smoked by exposing it to wood smoke in a shallow pan for an hour or more, which infuses it with a smoky aroma without cooking it. This cocktail gets its smoky character differently, from a peated single malt whisky paired with plain maple syrup rather than smoked syrup itself.
