An Old Fashioned is whisky, sugar, bitters, water. The sugar is the variable. Swap white sugar for dark maple syrup and the drink stops being a textbook Old Fashioned and starts tasting like the woods in autumn. The bourbon's vanilla and corn notes line up almost suspiciously well with maple's woody caramel. It is one of those small swaps that gives you a different cocktail, not just a tweaked one.

Ingredients

  • 60ml bourbon (a high-rye bottling holds up best)
  • 7.5ml dark maple syrup (Grade B or "Amber Rich"; avoid the pale ones)
  • 2 dashes aromatic bitters
  • 1 dash orange bitters
  • Expressed orange peel

Method

  1. Combine bourbon, maple syrup, and both bitters in a mixing glass.
  2. Add ice. Stir for 25 to 30 seconds, until the outside of the glass is cold.
  3. Strain over a single large rock.
  4. Express an orange peel over the surface, then drop it in.

Why dark maple, not pancake syrup

Real maple syrup is just boiled-down sap. Pancake syrup is corn syrup with caramel colouring and "maple flavour." They are not the same product. In a cocktail this size, where the sugar is doing flavour work as well as sweetening, the difference is the difference between a real drink and a sad one. Dark grades (B / Amber Rich / Very Dark) read smokier and more mineral, which gives the cocktail backbone. Light grades (A / Golden) read just sweet, with no character to push against the bourbon.

Which bourbon

High-rye, please. Wheated bourbons (the soft, vanilla-forward kind) get steamrolled by maple. A bourbon with at least 20% rye in the mashbill keeps a spine of spice that gives the maple something to react against. A bonded rye whiskey also works beautifully and gives you a sharper, drier drink.

Variations

Smoked Maple: rinse the glass with a peated Scotch before pouring. Phenomenal in a cold room.

Gula Melaka Old Fashioned: swap maple for gula melaka. The Malaysian shape of the same idea.

Related

Frequently asked questions

What glass is the Maple Old Fashioned served in?

A rocks glass over one large ice cube, the same as a classic Old Fashioned. Short, heavy-bottomed, the big rock chosen so the dark maple syrup doesn't dilute too fast across the drinking window.

Can I substitute the maple syrup?

Real maple syrup is non-negotiable, and it has to be a dark grade (Grade B, Amber Rich, Very Dark). Pancake syrup is corn syrup with flavouring; it'll ruin the drink. Light maple grades read just sweet without character. The closest substitute is gula melaka, which gives you the related Gula Melaka Old Fashioned with a Malaysian palm-sugar profile.

How strong is the Maple Old Fashioned?

Around 30 to 34 percent ABV in the glass before dilution, settling around 24 to 28 percent as the big rock melts. Same neighbourhood as a standard Old Fashioned. The maple syrup adds sweetness and depth but no extra alcohol. Built to sip across 25 to 30 minutes.

Where can I order a Maple Old Fashioned in PJ or KL?

On request at Dissolved Solids in Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya (43-1 Jalan SS20/11, Tue to Sun 15:00 to 01:00, WhatsApp +60 11-4008 7607) and at Soluble Solids in SS2, Petaling Jaya (50-1 Jalan SS2/24, Wed to Sun 18:00 to 01:00, WhatsApp +60 11-1682 8651). Both bars are in Tatler Asia Top 20 Bars 2025/26. We keep dark grade maple syrup on the bar for guests who want this build.

What food pairs with the Maple Old Fashioned?

Smoked or barbecued pork. Maple-glazed bacon. Pecan pie. Anything with caramel or smoke already on the plate. A cheese plate with aged cheddar or smoked gouda. For Malaysian context, char siu pork, satay, or kuih bingka (the caramelised topping echoes the maple). Avoid anything fresh or citrus-led; the drink wants weight.