Add a touch of fall to your cocktail game with the maple Manhattan. Rye or Canadian whiskey are the originals whiskeys used in the classic. Experiment with smoked single malts and bourbons to find your perfect flavor profile.

For this, I choose to stick with a rye whiskey. I want to spice from the grain to cut through the sweetness from the maple. Not all ryes are the same either. I could have gone with Balcones Texas Rye 100 to add a hint of chocolate, but I was afraid it would be too sweet. I could have used the Ranger Creek .44 rye with the apple notes, but I thought it would get lost. Finally, I settled on the Boosh Rye from my friends at Crowded Barrel Whiskey Co. This is Polish rye bottled at 121.7 proof has the spice and the proof to hold its own.

The result is a balanced whiskey cocktail. Plenty of whiskey flavor without being too sweet. The maple softens the spice on the finish but doesn’t take it away.

Maple Manhattan

Ingredients

• 2.25 oz rye whiskey

• 1 oz pure maple syrup

• .5 oz dry vermouth

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

How to make the maple manhattan
Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shek well. Strain into a glass. You can serve it on the rocks or straight up in a cocktail glass.

Check out the Arnold Palmer with whiskey and other Texas whiskey cocktails you can make at home.