Wandering Rye Whisky · Recipe 40
Maple Lemon Rye Sour
Because maple belongs everywhere in spring.
Ingredients
- 55 ml Wandering Rye Whisky
- 25 ml fresh lemon juice
- 20 ml maple syrup
- 1 egg white
- 2 dashes walnut or mole bitters
Method
Shake (dry shake optional). Serve in a Rocks glass. Garnish with Dehydrated lemon or candied walnut.
Maple syrup: Grade B/dark preferred.
The story
Maple syrup and rye whisky share a Canadian geography of origin, a grain-and-tree sweetness that is distinctly of their region, and a mutual appreciation for cold weather and patience. Maple sap begins running in early spring — one of the clearest seasonal ingredients available in North American cooking. It belongs in a spring cocktail guide the way elderflower belongs in a British one. The grade of maple syrup matters: Grade B or 'dark robust' maple syrups have a more complex, almost smoky sweetness that stands up to Wandering Rye's depth. Grade A 'golden delicate' is sweeter and lighter. Either works — darker grades are recommended. A maple-lemon rye sour is the drink that belongs at a spring afternoon with wood smoke still in the air.
Tasting note
Amber and soft gold, with a maple sweetness that is never syrupy thanks to the lemon's acid. Wandering Rye's rye spice and the 18-year corn's caramel work with the maple in three complementary directions. The walnut bitters on top is the note you'd miss if it wasn't there.