There are a few basic foodstuffs that have earned themselves an automatic place in our hearts (and our table, and our recipe books). Chief among those are the Big Three – bacon, bourbon, and maple syrup. Anything that combines at least two of these three ingredients is almost guaranteed to be pinned to Ali’s Pinterest boards, and probably tried at least once.

In this post, I share with you one of the more successful of the combo recipes we have encountered over the years – the Maple Leaf cocktail. The ratios have been tweaked to suit our tastes, so feel free to experiment with your own.

DJ’s Maple Leaf

2 oz Bourbon (or in our case, Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye)
2/3 oz pure Maple Syrup (preferably from one of the states whose name begins with a ‘V’)
1/2 oz Lemon juice

Put the maple syrup, lemon juice, and bourbon  in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, then pour into the cocktail glass. Serve with a cinnamon stick garnish (optional but highly recommended).