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Where our 18th-century New England forebears looked on hard cider as a mere staple beverage — more popular than ale, longer-lasting than milk, and often safer to drink than water — today’s cideries have made it as much a symbol of our region’s terroir as any vineyard or craft brewery. Frequently drawing on heirloom apple varieties and refining age-old fermentation techniques, they are turning out heady nectars to give any visit to New England a little extra kick. The following roundup of best New England cideries is drawn from Yankee’s travel writings and reader tips, with a focus on small-batch producers and an eye for travel destinations with particular appeal.

20 Best New England Cideries

Absolem Cider Company | Winthrop, ME

A cidery and tasting room located in a 150-year-old farmhouse in Maine’s Kennebec Valley, Absolem creates elegant ciders inspired by old-world techniques — like Bembel, a bright, citrusy, and refreshingly tart cider that takes its cues from Frankfurt apfelwein, and Atlantica, which draws on sagardoa, a traditional Basque cider.

B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill | Mystic, CT

In a town that celebrates sail, steam makes the cider: Clyde’s runs the last steam-powered apple press in America. The venerable machine turns out the crushed fruit for hard cider — an oaky elixir decanted straight from the barrel — and apple wine, filtered to achieve a sophisticated clarity. (There’s a bakery at Clyde’s, too, so count on apple cider doughnuts, as well as apple muffins, turnovers, pies, and more.)

Butternut Farm | Farmington, NH

Bringing cidermaking back to its rustic roots, this family-run, pick-your-own fruit farm invites visitors to step into a cider house where the tasting room sits atop the very basement where Wobbly Farmer, The Back 40, Orangesicle, and other delicious hard ciders are born in small batches. Enjoy 3-ounce samples alone or in a tasting flight, order a 14-ounce pour, or buy a growler to fill up with your favorite.

Carr’s Cider House | Hadley, MA

Superlative hard cider is just the beginning at this Pioneer Valley orchard and cidery, which also produces sweet cider, cider syrup, cider vinegar, and one of New England’s oldest potions, switchel (a vinegar-based quencher packed with electrolytes and treasured by farmhands of yore). On weekends, sip cider and handmade sodas at Carr’s scenic cider garden, right at the farm. 

Champlain Orchards | West Shoreham, VT

This family-owned farm overlooking Lake Champlain is one of the oldest continuously operating orchards in Vermont. On it, Bill Suhr and Andrea Scott grow more than 100 varieties of apples, along with berries and stone fruits, which in turn go into their award-winning hard ciders. Look for year-round offerings like Kingston Dry, Mac & Maple, and Foxboro Rosé, alongside seasonal specials like Honeycrisp — all four of which, incidentally, earned medals at the 2022 Great American Cider Competition.

Cider Hill Cellars | Amesbury, MA

Three generations of the Cook family have nurtured the orchards on their North Shore farm, with 1,000 apple trees producing solely for cider. Cider Hill offers nine hard ciders, ranging from dry to semisweet and including berry and cherry blends — all made exclusively with apples grown on-site. On weekends, the cider bar offers a tasty lunch menu and live music. For kids, there are arts and gardening programs and, of course, sweet cider. 

Cold Hollow Cider Mill | Waterbury, VT

The renowned sweet cider at this top Vermont attraction is made before your eyes daily in the fall, twice weekly during quieter seasons, using a vintage press. But the juice doesn’t all wind up in jugs. Alongside gourmet creations such as cider-chipotle BBQ sauce and an intensely flavored cider jelly, look for their line of easy-drinking hard ciders such as the gently spiced Grateful Sled and Soul Shifter, lightly sweetened with cider syrup.

Contoocook Cider Company | Contoocook, NH

More than 100 varieties of apples grown at Gould Hill Farm assure an exquisite array of mix-and-match possibilities. Flavor profiles run from bone-dry to sweet; cranberry, ginger, maple and tart cherries also make an occasional appearance. A selection of handmade pizzas rounds out a simple menu — a nice dry cider might just bump out beer for pizza pairing. Quart and half-gallon growlers are available to take home. 

Eden Ciders/Shelburne Vineyard | Shelburne, VT

The recent merger of Eden Ciders with winemaker Shelburne Vineyard brought the Newport cidermaker some welcome exposure at the vineyard’s tasting room on Route 7, just south of Burlington. Along with its line of still, sparkling, and herbal-infused hard ciders, Eden is known for its intensely flavored ice cider. Enjoy light snacks of Vermont cheeses and charcuterie, and special live-music nights. 

Farnum Hill Ciders | Lebanon, NH

Don’t expect hard ciders made from supermarket apples at Farnum Hill, where heirloom varieties such as Yarlington Mill, Kingston Black, and Elias Bitter, grown at the cidery’s Poverty Lane Orchards, yield complex, “radically dry” still ciders, along with only slightly less dry fizzies. Farnum’s retail operation features sweet ciders, apples, maple and seasonal vegetables, and hard cider tastings.

Flag Hill Farm | Vershire, VT

Nestled high in the Vermont mountains, Flag Hill Farm is one of the original Vermont cideries that helped pave the way for the craft cider renaissance. Its handmade, farmhouse product —which The New York Times once called “cider with the soul of wine” — comes in sparkling and still varieties, all made with organic wild and cultivated apples grown on-site or sourced from neighboring farms. Tours and tastings by appointment.

JMash Cidery at Hilltop Orchards | Richmond, MA

John Vittori studied cider-making in England, but his French-style cidre is a standout, clear and pale gold in color and rich in tannins from fermenting the juice on its skins and aging in French oak barrels. Mostly dry, with just the slightest hint of sweetness, it’s food-friendly, full-bodied, and complex. Meanwhile, the Johnny Mash Original American cider is sweeter and more golden in hue (it, too, is aged in oak), a true New England blend of Northern Spy and McIntosh apples.

North Country Hard Cider | Dover

From humble beginnings — pressing apples in a family driveway and fermenting cider in a basement — brothers Silas and Ivan Gordon and their friend Ron Dixon have grown their cidery into a full-fledged production facility and tasting room that draws cider fans from across New England and beyond to sip concoctions like Cranbarrel (aged in bourbon barrels and brightened with Massachusetts cranberries) and the seasonal Crabby Bastard (a blend of Dolgo crabapples and Spencer apples grown on the Giles Family Farm in Maine). North Country has also earned kudos for its eco-friendly ethos, as the first cidery in New Hampshire to be recognized in the state’s Sustainable Craft Beverage Program.

Orchard Girls Cidery | Kingfield, ME

There actually aren’t any cider-pressing ladies to be found here — founder Daniel Gassett picked the name from a song lyric. Gassett makes straight hard apple cider with fruit from local orchards, but he follows his own muse in crafting seasonal offerings kissed with ginger, strawberry, rhubarb, and Maine blueberries. Whatever’s ready is available on tap at the homey tasting room, where bottles, growlers, and even kegs are on sale. 

Oyster River Winegrowers | Warren, ME

The name “winegrowers” is worth noting here, as much of the fruit that goes into the wines and ciders is grown on-site (the rest comes from other Northeast farms). In an era when natural wines, made with no additives and minimal intervention, are all the rage, Oyster River is proving that natural wines and ciders can even be made in the rugged climate of midcoast Maine. Without added sugars or other sweeteners, these ciders are bone-dry, complex, and perfect for wine lovers. In season, visitors are welcome to visit the winery’s tasting room, located in a renovated barn.

Portersfield Cider | Pownal, ME

More than 225 apple and pear varieties, many in danger of extinction, flourish in the orchards of Portersfield Cider, which describes itself as “half conservation project, half production facility.” And it’s that second half that can be credited with helping to preserve Maine’s cidermaking tradition, focusing on very-small-batch ciders that showcase both orchard-grown and foraged wild apples. The ciders are available only at the farm tasting room, where tasting flights arepaired with seasonal foods from local producers and the farm’s own fields. Advance reservations required.

Sowams Cider Works Company | Warren, RI

Until recently, this cidery’s cozy storefront tasting room in downtown Warren was the only place to load up on bottles of arguably the best hard cider in Rhode Island. That changed in mid-2023, when Providence’s Campus Fine Wines started stock Sowams, but it’s still worth stopping into the tasting room to sample the widest range of vintages made from an eclectic mix of apples —including the Rhode Island Greening — grown by artisan cider maker Spencer Morris. 

West County Cider | Shelburne, MA

Several local orchards feed the presses for West County’s cellar-fermented ciders, crafted to take advantage of an array of individual apple varieties. Heirloom Baldwins, for example, yield Dry Baldwin, a light, crisp cider expressive of the character of this native New England apple. Buy cork-and-wire-topped 750 ml bottles or sample draft pours at the rustic tasting room; outdoors, there are hiking trails and an outdoor picnic area. 

Windfall Orchard | Cornwall, VT

The Champlain Valley is Vermont’s apple country, and Windfall takes full advantage of the local bounty. Up to 30 varieties, grown on-site, go into its naturally fermented sparkling and ice ciders. Apples aren’t the whole story here: Windfall’s pear crop yields hard-to-find perry, the old-British pear counterpart to cider. Windfall’s Saturday market also sells soup, pizza, and farm-fresh vegetables. 

Yankee Cider Company | East Haddam, CT

A perennial favorite in The Big E cider competition, Yankee Cider Company opened Connecticut’s first farm cidery taproom in 2019 in a converted 100-year-old barn, where it features flights and pours of its hard ciders and wines from its sibling business, Staehly Farm Winery. Throughout the year, the flavor experimentation is never-ending — think spiced fig cider, caramel cider doughnut, and blueberry rhubarb ginger cider.

Do you have a cidery you’d like to add to the list? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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Vermont is home to roughly 15 breweries per 100,000 residents — more per capita than any other state — earning it the title of craft beer capital of the United States. It’s blessed not only with abundance but quality, too, and in every part of the state: from world-famous Hill Farmstead Brewery in the Northeast Kingdom to acclaimed newcomer Black Flannel in Essex to perennial favorite Long Trail in the heart of the Green Mountains. The following roundup of best breweries in Vermont is drawn from Yankee’s travel writings, and includes many places that our editors have returned to again and again over the years.

Best Breweries in Vermont

The Alchemist | Stowe

People come from far and wide to get their hands on brews from The Alchemist, whose offerings include Heady Topper, the now-legendary double IPA that many credit with starting the craft beer craze, and of which Hop Culture has noted: “No single American beer has been doted upon with as much unrelenting, unabashed praise.” The state-of-the-art brewery and visitors center in Stowe lets you sample and buy beers that are considered among the best in New England, from headliner IPAs like Heady Topper and Focal Banger to sour golden ales and imperial stouts.

Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling Co. | Essex

Vermont’s first and only brewery/distillery hybrid, Black Flannel has brewed a dizzying 80-plusstyles of beer since opening in 2020 — safe to say, there’s always something new to discover here. Some popular picks are the hazy IPA Disco Montage; a fruity, deeply malty Belgian dubbel; and Stormin’ the Castle, a hearty Scotch ale perfect for cold-weather sipping. Then there’s the distillery, which turns out superlative gins, rums, whiskeys, and other spirits, many distilled with evocative ingredients such as fruits, maple syrup, and spices. The crowning touch? A restaurant run by James Beard Award–nominated chef Christian Kruse.

Burlington Beer Co. | Burlington

Burlington Beer Co. is the brainchild of Joe Lemnah, a native son who brought his talents home after working at Olde Saratoga, Dogfish Head, and Evolution. Encompassing a taproom, restaurant, and barrel house, the brewery showcases Lemnah’s creativity (this is the man who once home-brewed a pumpkin beer inside a pumpkin) with rotating beers that emphasize local, seasonal ingredients. Two delicious examples include Barista, a coffee porter made with beans from Woodstock roaster Abracadabra, and Beekeeper, an imperial IPA brewed with Vermont honey. 

Foam Brewers | Burlington

Located in a historic brick building just steps from Waterfront Park and the Burlington Bike Trail, this recent James Beard Award semifinalist was opened in 2016 by a trio of brewers already steeped in expertise from stints at Magic Hat and Switchback. Foam offers a collection of seasonally rotating brews — the saisons and IPAs are especially worth checking out — and is also the only spot pouring the innovative aged and blended beers from the nearby House of Fermentology, a blendery cofounded by Foam partner Todd Haire. 

Four Quarters Brewing | Winooski
This small-batch specialist was opened in 2014 by beer geek Brian Eckert while he was also holding down a full-time job as a web developer at Ben & Jerry’s. Four Quarters’ subsequent success spurred a move in 2021 to a new Main Street location that has a brewhouse, a 29-tapline taproom, and an outdoor patio — the perfect setup for sampling Eckert’s imaginative concoctions, which have included Pickle Juice (a sour ale brewed with cucumbers, honey dew, and fresh dill) and Cider Donut Stout (an Imperial milk stout brewed with apple cider and apple cider doughnuts from Champlain Orchards). 

Hill Farmstead Brewery | Greensboro 

When beer lovers make a pilgrimage to Vermont, it’s likely to this tucked-away corner of the Northeast Kingdom. On land the Hill family has farmed for seven generations, Danish-trained Shaun Hill crafts beer consistently voted the world’s best. Standards run from summer’s lagers to winter’s stouts, and from citrusy IPAs to powerful barley wines. Look also for brews with subtle fruit flavors, perhaps aged in bourbon, wine, or cognac barrels.

Lawson’s Finest Liquids | Waitsfield

The Mad River Valley is outdoor-sports central in Vermont. When hikers, skiers, and cyclists work up a thirst, they head to Lawson’s taproom for the brewery’s IPAs, Pilsners, porters, brown ale, and seasonal releases (in winter, look for powerful Maple Tripple), with light fare for pairing. Frequent live performances include jazz, blues, and folk. Occasional beer-themed dinners and popular Beer and Brats Wednesdays round out the schedule.

Long Trail Brewing Company | Bridgewater

“Take a Hike” says the Long Trail label, and a hike (or drive) to Bridgewater will lead to the brewery’s pub on the banks of the Ottauquechee River. Depending on the weather, taps might feature quenchers like Belgian White and Blackberry Wheat, or the chewy, chilly-day favorite Double Bag. Grab a burger or bratwurst (made with beer), take in the river views from the deck, and stick around for live music.

Switchback Brewing Co. | Burlington

Down in Burlington’s South End arts district, the Queen City’s heart of hip, Switchback has built a following around its eponymous flagship brew, an unfiltered amber ale that manages to be malty and hoppy at the same time. The pub crowd ventures beyond into IPAs, British-style Brown Ale, and specialties like Märzen lager while enjoying hot dogs, brats, vegan chili, and Friday-night live music.

Zero Gravity | Burlington

Proving you can never have too much of a good thing, Zero Gravity expanded beyond its home at the American Flatbread Burlington Hearth restaurant to set up an honest-to-goodness 30-barrel brewhouse on Pine Street in 2015, compete with tasting room, retail shop, and beer garden. Under the guidance of brewmaster Paul Sayler, the brewery turns out quaffs that honor the qualities of classic beer styles — Belgian tripel, Czech pilsner, India pale ale, etc. — while still making room for only-in-Vermont creativity. One specialty offering to look for: the Yuzu Lager, which packs a bright citrusy-malty punch. 

Do you have a brewery you’d like to add to the list? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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Step into any New England coffee shop on the coldest day of the year and, without fail, you’ll hear the clinking of ice cubes. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, New Englanders can be found with iced coffee in hand. What’s more, our iced coffee loyalties run deep: Everyone has an idea of who makes the best iced coffee in New England.

Maybe you know someone who used to “double cup” (that is, put a Styrofoam cup around the iced coffee cup as an added layer of insulation) before Dunkin’ discontinued the practice, or you have a friend who trudges up to the office in a full winter parka getup, swirling an iced coffee in their mittened hands. Either way, you know that New Englanders have some unique iced coffee practices. And whether your loyalty lies with Dunkin’, Aroma Joe’s, or a slightly more hidden gem, there are plenty of New England shops that might convince even you to stray from your old standby. Looking for the cream of the crop? Here are our picks for the best iced coffee in New England.

The Best Iced Coffee in New England

The Best Iced Coffee in Connecticut

Perkatory Coffee Roasters | Middletown, Connecticut

The antithesis to the clean-cut, minimalist coffee-shop aesthetic, this skate punk café in Middletown, Connecticut, serves a mean cup of coffee. The Perkatory Coffee Roasters website deems their brew “deathly delicious,” and with specialty beans roasted in small batches in-house, every week, we can see why. Their cold brew, nitro cold brew, and iced espresso drinks are no exception. In the mood for something even more exciting? Try one of their iced coffee sodas or their frozen, blended coffees.

Birdhouse Coffee | South Windsor, Connecticut

Many coffee roasteries begin with a love for coffee; this Connecticut coffee shop began with a passion for beer brewing. Before venturing into small-batch coffee roasting, Steve and Lori Palauskas established the Connecticut Valley Brewing Company. It was while developing a coffee stout for the brewery that they found their love for craft coffee, and so Birdhouse Coffee was born. If you’re in the area, stop by for a cold brew. If you’re not, their bags of coffee (which are beautiful, to boot) are available for purchase online.

The Best Iced Coffee in Massachusetts

Share Coffee | Hadley, Massachusetts

After one sip of coffee cold-brewed with these beans, the last thing you’ll want to do is share. Ethically sourced and roasted in Hadley, Massachusetts, Share Coffee was started by Ken Majka and has since expanded to multiple locations around western Massachusetts. Beans can be ordered online, and their killer nitro cold brew can be purchased in Amherst, Northampton, and Montague, Massachusetts.

Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters | Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

With numerous flavors of cold brew, seven locations throughout the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts, and a laundry list of breakfast menu items, this local chain leaves little to be desired. Many swear by their toasted coconut cold brew, while those looking for a more traditional experience will also enjoy their classic unflavored coffee.

Broadsheet Coffee Roasters | Cambridge, Massachusetts

Looking for the best iced coffee in Boston? Founded in 2017, Cambridge’s first specialty coffee roaster quickly made a name for itself on the Boston area’s coffee scene. And with expertly roasted beans, a strong commitment to conscientious sourcing, and a prime location near Harvard Yard, it’s no secret why.

The Best Iced Coffee in New Hampshire

La Mulita Coffee | Rye, New Hampshire

Located just outside the charming city of Portsmouth and only a short drive from the beautiful beaches of Rye, this New Hampshire coffee bar ranks among the best of the best with their freshly roasted Colombian beans. After a year of home-roasting beans in his garage, owner Max Pruna opened the doors of La Mulita Coffee in 2019. Since then, they’ve been serving up delicious coffees, espresso, and an iced cold brew that would be the perfect sidekick to any beach day (or, dare we say it, snow day).

Horseshoe Café | Newmarket, New Hampshire

Horseshoe Café co-owner Nori Kozuma starts by sifting through the green coffee beans. One by one, he picks through them by hand. He searches for any imperfections — mold, cracks, things like that — which might possibly lead to a less-than-perfect cup. After roasting the beans, he repeats this process before grinding and brewing. With all this in mind, it’s no wonder that this unassuming little coffee shop in Newmarket, New Hampshire, has been recognized by Food & Wine as the best in New Hampshire and as one of the top 100 coffee shops in America. Though they are equally renowned for their exquisite baked goods, their cold brew is of the highest quality and is sure to put a pep in your step.

The Best Iced Coffee in Vermont

Mocha Joe’s | Brattleboro, Vermont

A few steps below the street in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont, sits longstanding coffee establishment Mocha Joe’s. Since Pierre Capy began roasting beans in 1994 the shop has gained a robust fan base; now Mocha Joe’s boasts over 100 wholesale customers throughout the Northeast and a wide range of organic, fair trade coffees to choose from. Whether you’re exploring Brattleboro on a sunny summer morning or just passing through on the way to the ski mountain, their cold brew coffee is guaranteed to start the day off on the right foot.

Abracadabra Coffee Co. | Woodstock, Vermont

As cold-brew coffee and nitro cold brews have grown in popularity, so has the demand for shelf-stable and bulk options. Enter canned cold brew. At Abracadabra Coffee Co. in Woodstock, Vermont, single-origin canned cold brews offer convenience without compromising on flavor. From their rich and creamy classic cold brew to their juicy, hemp-infused coffees, cracking open one of these cold cans is sure to kick-start your day.

The Best Iced Coffee in Rhode Island

The Shop | Providence, Rhode Island

Attention to detail is the name of the game at this charming Providence, Rhode Island, coffee shop, tucked away in the waterfront Fox Point neighborhood. The smell of freshly brewed, single-origin coffee hangs in the air and light streams through expansive windows. Customers chat quietly as friendly baristas serve up steaming mugs and snack-worthy platters. From the thoughtful interior design touches to the carefully curated food and drink menu, The Shop delivers on experience from start to finish. If you’re lucky enough to snag a spot by the window, you’ll have a perch perfect for sitting, sipping, and watching Providence go by. If not, it’s the perfect place to grab a delicious nitro cold brew before hitting the town.

The Nitro Cart/The Nitro Bar | Providence and Newport, Rhode Island

“Think Guinness for your coffee,” declares the website for this Rhode Island coffee joint. Locally sourced, cold brewed, and nitro tapped, this iced coffee isn’t like the iced coffee of yore. It’s creamy, it’s delicious, and it’s ice cold. And while many locations on this list offer nitro cold brews, this place specializes in it. With two brick-and-mortar Nitro Bar locations, three cold-brew coffee carts and over 50 nitro cold-brew taps in regional restaurants and businesses, Nitro Cart’s coffee community has quickly grown from a basement venture to a full-blown nitro craze.

The Best Iced Coffee in Maine

Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine

Since 1994, Coffee By Design has been one of the cornerstones of the Portland, Maine, coffee scene. What started as an effort by owners Mary Allen Lindemann and Alan Spear to share their passion for excellent coffee with the greater community ultimately played a large part in revitalizing Portland’s downtown Arts District. Meanwhile, the shop itself also blossomed into something much more grand. They now operate three locations in Portland, and Coffee By Design’s coffee beans are distributed globally to nearly 600 wholesale and mail-order customers. Pop by for an iced coffee — you won’t be disappointed.

Tandem Coffee Roasters | Portland, Maine

Nestled into a 1930s brick building in Portland, Maine, Tandem Coffee Roasters has been roasting and brewing coffee since they first opened their doors in 2012. Baked goods are also served at their second location in Portland’s West End, housed in a building that was both a gas station and a laundromat in its past lives. Basically, all of this is to say that Tandem Coffee Roasters not only has great coffee, but great food and great character to boot, making it the perfect place to grab an iced coffee and stay awhile.

Bard Coffee | Portland, Maine

Looking for some of the best iced coffee in Portland’s historic Old Port neighborhood? Look no further than Bard Coffee, which has been serving their in-house roasted coffee since 2009. Their team is highly trained, committed to ethical sourcing, and always on cutting edge of roasting technology. Oh, and did we mention the coffee is out of this world? And if one cup of their signature cold brew isn’t enough, you can even take it to go in one of their “Extra Grande” 64-ounce jugs. Yes, please!

Do you agree with our picks? Which coffee shop or roastery do you think serves the best iced coffee in New England?

SEE MORE:

Ode to Rhode Island Coffee Milk

Best Coffee Shop in Every New England State

Best 5 Spots for Coffee with a View in New England

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Maple syrup may be New England’s most beloved condiment. And for good reason: What doesn’t benefit from the addition of this amber nectar?

It’s excellent in salty-sweet popcorn, it adds great flavor to classic baked beans, and, of course, it was practically made to be drizzled onto blueberry pancakes. (Plus, many claim that maple syrup even has health benefits.)

But are you the kind of person whose love for maple syrup is so strong you could almost drink the stuff with a straw? If so, these four maple syrup cocktail recipes will let you satisfy your sweet tooth without going quite that far.

Maple Syrup Cocktail Recipes

These maple cocktail recipes all call for the real deal: New England maple syrup. I opted for the good old-fashioned stuff instead of niche spirits to make the recipes “home bar–friendly” — but if you’d like to amp things up, feel free to substitute maple-flavored liquors as you see fit.

Maple Old-Fashioned

For the person who loves a classic.

Whiskey and maple syrup are a match made in heaven. This classic cocktail gets kicked up a notch by substituting maple syrup for simple syrup.

Maple Old-Fashioned Ingredients

1 orange (to peel for garnish)
2 ounces rye whiskey or bourbon
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
Dash of Angostura bitters
Ice

Maple Old-Fashioned Instructions

Using a vegetable peeler or knife, carefully cut a 2- or 3-inch-long strip of peel from the orange. Run the cut side of the peel around the rim of a rocks glass. Set aside.

In another glass or a cocktail shaker, add the whiskey, maple syrup, and bitters. Stir or shake to combine.

Fill the rocks glass with ice (preferably one large cube, to avoid watering down the cocktail). Gently pour the cocktail over the ice. Twist the orange peel lightly to help release the oils, then place it in the glass as a garnish.

Maple White Russian

For the person who puts six packets of sugar in their morning coffee.

Inspired by the classic White Russian (vodka, coffee liqueur, cream), this creamy cocktail is kind of like drinking a vanilla latte while eating pancakes with syrup … if that’s your thing. Serve it for dessert or drink it with brunch; we won’t tell either way.

Maple White Russian Ingredients

2 ounces vodka
2 ounces coffee liqueur (like Kahlua)
2 ounces milk or light cream
1 ounce maple syrup
Grated chocolate or cocoa powder, for garnish

Maple White Russian Instructions

Combine vodka, coffee liqueur, cream, and maple syrup in a cocktail shaker or glass. Stir or shake to combine. Pour over a medium glass filled with ice. Garnish with grated chocolate or a very light dusting of cocoa powder.

Maple Whiskey Sour

For the person who knows a thing or two about mixology.

This particular cocktail came highly recommended by Yankee associate editor Joe Bills as one of his favorites. Still, whiskey sours intimidated me for a long time due to their requisite raw egg whites. Joe makes this cocktail at home sans egg white — and you can, too — but don’t be afraid to try it the traditional way. I’ve since found out that egg whites play a valuable role by aerating the other liquids, lending a delightful creaminess that has even me considering their addition.

Maple Whiskey Sour Ingredients

2 ounces whiskey
1 egg white (optional)
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 ounce maple syrup
2–3 dashes Angostura bitters (optional)
Ice
Fresh sage, for garnish (optional)
Fresh lemon peel, for garnish (optional)

Maple Whiskey Sour Instructions

Combine whiskey, egg white, lemon juice, maple syrup, and bitters in a cocktail shaker or glass. Fill with ice and shake or stir vigorously for approximately 20 seconds. Pour through a strainer into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with sage and a bit of fresh lemon peel.

Hot Maple Buttered Rum

For the person whose hands are always a little bit cold.

The serving temperature of this beverage combined with its spices and liquor means that it’s fiery in more ways than one. Using a technique called “fat washing” makes for a buttered rum with all the creaminess but none of the greasiness, and it’s simple enough to do at home. The other fantastic thing about this cocktail is that the spiced mixer can be made ahead of time, yielding an easy yet impressive drink to serve to guests. And have no fear, my fellow rum skeptics: This drink is traditionally made with rum, but bourbon is a delightful substitute.

Hot Maple Buttered Rum Ingredients

1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
15 whole allspice berries
1 star anise pod
15 whole cloves
½ tsp powdered ginger
3 cups water (for extra flavor, use a brewed spiced tea, like chai or cinnamon)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Rum or bourbon (2 oz. per serving)

Hot Maple Buttered Rum Instructions

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon, allspice, star anise, cloves, and ginger and cook for two minutes. Pour in the water or tea and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt.

To perform the “fat washing,” refrigerate the saucepan overnight or until the butter solidifies on top. Use a spoon to skim the butter off the top of the liquid. (Pro tip: Don’t throw this butter out — it makes a flavorful topper for pancakes or toast!)

After skimming off the butter, return the saucepan to the stove and heat until the spice mixture is steaming. Pour 2 oz. rum (or bourbon) into a mug. Measure out 1/3 cup of the spice mixture and add it to the mug. Stir to combine.

Do you have a favorite cocktail or drink recipe that involves maple syrup? Tell us about it in the comments below!

This post was first published in 2020 and has been updated.

See More:
Best Maple Recipes for Spring
Guide to Maple Syrup Grades
Ode to the Vermont Maple Creemee

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Which is more beautiful: the full bloom of spring or the peak of fall? If you’re partial to the former, you’re in your element right now—and a tasty cocktail known as the May Flowers Fizz is a terrific way to celebrate blossom season.

This recipe was inspired by a visit to Tamworth Distilling, a small-batch spirits producer located in the idyllic village of Tamworth, at the southern edge of the White Mountains. The Weekends with Yankee crew filmed a segment there in mid-October, and between the mountain views, the beauty of Tamworth’s 19th-century architecture, and the Technicolor glory of peak foliage, that day could’ve converted any spring loyalist to the autumn camp.

Our guides were master distillers Matt Power and Jamie Oakes, both local boys who left town for school and work, only to have the good fortune to find their dream jobs back at home. They were hired by founder Steven Grasse, a marketing guru from Philadelphia who had launched such brands as Hendrick’s Gin and Sailor Jerry Rum, which afforded him a vacation property in Tamworth not far from where his family had summered every year of his childhood.

With a supply of fresh water from the Ossipee Aquifer, Grasse created a line of spirits infused with the flavors of New Hampshire. As much as possible, all of Tamworth Distilling’s ingredients come from within a 150-mile radius of the distillery, and grains are milled on-site. Beets for infused vodka are grown in the garden and at a local farm, mushrooms are foraged locally, and balsam buds are picked fresh in the surrounding woods.

Power and Oakes took us on a hike to a beautiful overlook where a stand of balsams offered those very buds for picking. Then we headed back to Power’s test kitchen, where he uses a rotary evaporator to distill the buds into their component flavor compounds and selectively recombine those elements with other flavors to make, say, Tamworth’s line of seasonal gins.

In the tasting room, one of those gins stood out for its unexpected blend of juniper, grapefruit, geranium, and elderflower. Called Flora, it had us thinking of fresh spring mornings—which in turn led to this cocktail, which is fragrant with aromas of ginger, lime, and rose. As is, the recipe serves two, but it can be easily scaled up to serve a crowd.

Get the Recipe:
May Flowers Fizz

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