Maple Syrup Cocktails and Other Minnesota Mix-ins? Um... Yes, please!

Cocktails aren’t just about the spirits and liqueurs. Especially in the colder months when a little boost of richness or sweetness can help you slide through the less than ideal days, maple syrup cocktails and other mix-ins might be just the kind of treat to satisfy your desire for a drink with something different.

What’s even better than using an array of many options from cocktail mix-ins highly regarded around the world? How about local Minnesota-made ingredients that elevate a drink to just the right degree?

Check out these cocktail recipes with local Minnesota syrup and jams. Plan to pick up some fine honey, preserves, syrups, and other products from our fine state to add an extra burst of flavor to these cocktails.

Cold Brew Bourbon Cocktail Recipe

To make this cocktail with a local dimension of flavor, choose Hamel maple syrup from Hamel, Minnesota. Maple syrup is a strong sweetener that can add a lot to bourbon and whiskey especially. This cocktail also uses triple sec to add a citrusy orange twist to the sweet notes.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 oz. bourbon
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• 2 1/2 oz. strong cold brew coffee
• 1/2 oz. heavy cream
• 1/2 oz. maple syrup
• orange peel for garnish
• ice

How to make a Cold Brew Bourbon Cocktail:

1. Pour bourbon, triple sec, cold brew, and maple syrup into a shaker with ice.
2. Shake thoroughly and strain into a lowball glass over ice.
3. Add a splash of heavy cream and an orange peel for garnish.

Raspberry Rhubarb Vodka Jam Cocktail Recipe

The variety of juicy and delicious fruit jams come from Kelly Farm Pantry in Audubon, Minnesota, including wild plum, wild chokecherry, and what you’ll want for this cocktail: raspberry rhubarb jam. While you might not expect to put a raspberry rhubarb jam in a glass with vodka, it provides an interesting flavor profile alongside flowery elderflower liqueur and the acidity of lemon juice.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. vodka
• 1/2 oz. elderflower liqueur
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. raspberry rhubarb jam
• ice

How to make Raspberry Rhubarb Vodka Jam Cocktail:

1. Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker over ice.
2. Shake thoroughly and strain into a highball glass filled with ice.

Cinnamon Honey Whiskey Sour Recipe

Honey provides a perfect complement to whiskey and bourbon, so we recommend you choose a great mix-in for this cocktail: honey from Ames Farm in Delano, Minnesota, or Johnston Honey in Rochester, Minnesota.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Bulleit bourbon or whiskey of your choice
• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 3 tsp. honey
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• ice

How to make a Cinnamon Honey Whiskey Sour:

1. Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Shake thoroughly and strain into a lowball glass over a large ice cube.

Are you ready to mix the farm with your favorite spirits? Try these maple syrup and jam cocktails with the local mix-in ingredients that no one else is serving, and your friends and family will look to you for delicious drinks for years to come.