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The Maple Walnut Manhattan is a spin on the classic Manhattan using black walnut bitters, maple syrup, and a flamed orange peel. The fall-inspired take on the classic cocktail is just as fun to sip as it is to make. Yes, you get to play with some fire and light some expressed orange oil on fire. If you’re looking for a food pairing, try some fried chicken and waffles!
The Maple Walnut Manhattan is a boozy cocktail with a subtle touch of maple sweetness. One may argue it’s closer to the Old Fashioned, but the red vermouth tells a different story. The maple Manhattan is darker in appearance thanks to the bitters and maple syrup. It closely resembles the Black Manhattan, which is made with amaro.
If you can find a naturally infused maple bourbon, by all means, substitute that for maple syrup. If not, always use high-quality maple syrup, and don’t even think about using pancake syrup instead! If you want to increase your collection of bitters, grab some orange bitters as well to make a Negroni Cocktail.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Bourbon or American rye: there are many solid and affordable bourbons out there. A few to mention are Larceny, Elijah Craig, Four Roses, Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek, and Rowan’s Creek. For Rye, I like Sazerac, George Dickle, Redemption, and WhistlePig PiggyBack.
- Sweet Vermouth: a few of my favorite vermouths are Carpano Antica Formula (the richest in flavor and most expensive), Dolin, Punt E Mes, and Noilly Pratt.
- Bitters: I use a mix of orange bitters and black walnut bitters for this recipe. It adds citrus and deep woody flavors that pair nicely with maple syrup. I highly recommend it!
- Maple syrup: look for 100% maple syrup. This will lend a subtle maple flavor. WhistlePig makes a whiskey barrel-aged maple syrup that is phenomenal in this cocktail!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.
How to Flame an Orange Peel
- Use a potato peeler or paring knife to shave off a thin strip of orange peel. Try to leave as much of the pith behind as possible.
- Position the peel horizontally by gripping the top and bottom of the short sides with your thumb, index, and ring fingers.
- Hold the peel over the rim of the glass so the oils will shoot down into the glass. Position a lit match or lighter a few inches in front of the peel.
- Gently press down, bending the peel outward, to express the oils. This really only works once.
Expert Tips
- By rule of thumb, a Manhattan should be stirred and not shaken to limit dilution and prevent introducing too much oxygen.
- Chill your glass in the freezer. This keeps your drink colder and prevents initial warming. This is especially important for cocktails served up.
- I like to serve Manhattan in coupe or Nick and Nora Glasses. They’re the perfect volume and yet very compact, unlike bulky martini glasses.
More Whiskey Cocktails
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this cocktail, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Maple Walnut Manhattan
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon or rye whiskey, Elijah Craig or WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye
- 3/4 ounces sweet vermouth, Dolin, Punt E Mes, and Noilly Pratt
- 1/4 ounce maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon
- 2 dashes black walnut bitters
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- Flamed orange peel
Instructions
- Combine boyrbon/rye, vermouth, maple syrup, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice.
- Stir until chilled and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
- Gently express the oils from the peel over the drink through a lit match or flame. Wipe the rim of the glass with the peel and garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
