Transform Your Mai Tai Into A Fall-Forward Cocktail With Maple Syrup

Maple syrup is for far more than just pancake stacks, and when cooler autumnal days start to roll around, fall-fevered foodies start looking for ways to incorporate the versatile ingredient into their daily diets. If you identify with this sentiment (maybe your flannel shirt is already on, and maybe you're sweating because it isn't quite cold enough for that yet), it's time to whet your eager whistle with a maple Mai Tai. Just swap the simple syrup with maple syrup in your next Mai Tai cocktail for an autumnal sipper you can enjoy all season long.

A classic citrusy Mai Tai combines rum, orange curaçao, fresh lime juice, orgeat (sweet syrup made from almonds and rosewater), and sometimes simple syrup. If you're feeling ambitious, you can even make orgeat syrup yourself to keep on hand in your home bar (tips on that here). Per the lore, this tiki pillar was invented by the legendary bartender "Trader Vic" Bergeron in Oakland, California, in 1944  as a vehicle for showcasing high-quality rum. Today the maple Mai Tai can be assembled in just a few minutes right in your own kitchen. To do it, simply add ¼ to ½ ounce of maple syrup to your regular cocktail shaker of Mai Tai ingredients (sans simple syrup) and wet-shake to assemble as normal, straining into an ice-filled double old fashioned glass to serve.

Don't let the "tiki" title mislead you. There's nothing overly sweet or frozen about a traditional Mai Tai. This cocktail is all about balanced flavors, depth, and complexity, toting a profile that's tangy-sweet and subtly floral. Your seasonal maple variation should preserve this balance of flavors, and as such, opt for a high-quality dark maple syrup here for robust dimensionality. We're talking thin Vermont-style, not viscous processed grocery store bargain brand of pancake syrup. Mrs. Buttersworth would turn this sophisticated sipper cloyingly undrinkable. To counterbalance the sweetness of the maple syrup, use a combination of crisp white rum and dark overproof rum for the liquor base in your cocktail. Or, if you don't mind the sweeter kick, you could use aged amber or spiced rum to complement the autumnal flavor profile. Just be sure to steer clear of grassy rums for this sipper to avoid an unpleasant flavor clash.

Traditionally, Mai Tais are garnished with pineapple wedges, limes, maraschino cherries, or fresh mint leaves to serve. For this maple variation, garnish your drink with a cinnamon sugar rim, whole cinnamon stick, and star anise floating on the surface. Or, for a tart finish, garnish your maple Mai Tai with a cranberry trio skewer and a candied dried orange wheel.