Spiced Maple Rum Cocktail

Illustration of a deep amber cocktail coupe with lemon wheel on a dark Mughouse bar

Behind the Bar — as told by Ezrin Vyce

Dark spiced rum. Real maple syrup. Fresh lemon.

Three ingredients, and each has a job. The rum brings the depth and spice, the maple rounds the edges, and the lemon keeps the whole thing from turning into dessert.

It’s an autumn drink, served cold. No steaming pot, no elaborate garnish, and absolutely no reason to set anything on fire.

Pull up a stool. This won’t take long.

What you’ll need

Makes one cocktail. Serve in a coupe or rocks glass.

  • 2 oz dark spiced rum
  • ½–1 oz pure maple syrup, to taste
  • 1 oz fresh lemon juice
  • A lemon wheel, for garnish
  • Ice, for shaking

Use pure maple syrup rather than maple-flavored pancake syrup. And squeeze the lemon fresh if you can—there aren’t enough ingredients here for a tired one to hide.

Build it

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the rum, lemon juice, and ½ oz maple syrup.

Start there. Different spiced rums bring different levels of sweetness, and you can always add more maple. Taking it back out is considerably harder.

Shake it cold

Shake hard until the tin feels thoroughly chilled.

Taste a small sample using a clean spoon. If you’d like it sweeter, add a little more maple, up to 1 oz total, and shake again.

You’re looking for balance, not a contest between the lemon and the syrup.

Illustration of a shaker pouring a cocktail into a coupe beside a lemon and jigger

Pour and finish

Strain into your glass, leaving the shaker ice behind. Garnish with a lemon wheel and serve immediately.

Prefer a slower drink over ice? Use a rocks glass with one large cube instead.

A few ways to change the pour

  • More spice: Add one dash of aromatic bitters.
  • Less spice: Use plain dark rum instead of spiced rum.
  • A different spirit: Try bourbon in place of the rum, keeping the maple modest until you’ve tasted it.
  • More citrus aroma: Finish with a twist of lemon peel.

Something alongside it

Sharp cheddar, roasted nuts, or roast pork would make good company. For a sweeter finish to the evening, there’s always pecan pie.

Just don’t put the pie in the shaker. I shouldn’t have to say that, but this is the Mughouse.

From my corner of the bar

A good drink doesn’t need a long list. It needs ingredients that work together and somebody willing to taste before calling it finished.

This one earns its place with spice, a little sweetness, and enough lemon to keep your attention.

Drink it cold. Enjoy it slowly. There’s no obligation to order another.

— Ezrin Vyce The Mad Magus

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