Drinking Maple | The Press

In the middle of pouring, we were interested in the use of our national syrup – in all its forms – in liquid creations, in the company of Claudia Doyon, winner of the Laurier mixologist of the year 2022.

An ingredient to discover

At the Distillerie La Chaufferie bar, Claudia Doyon only sweetens with maple syrup or honey. “At home, I don’t even have any more white sugar”, declares the one who won the Laurier mixologist of the year 2022, with her approach “from the earth to the cocktail”.

Syrup, whether simple (one part water to one part sugar), rich (one part water to two parts sugar) or flavored with rosemary, lavender or ginger, is an essential ingredient. from the bar. Strangely, maple syrup is rarely used by bartenders Quebec.

For the purposes of this file, we challenged Claudia Doyon, brand manager and bar manager at La Chaufferie, located in Granby: to design a very “cabin” cocktail, with a pronounced maple taste, then a cocktail in which the use of maple would not be detectable. Far be it from us to hide the delicious taste of our national syrup. The idea was rather to demonstrate that this natural and local sweetener can easily replace white sugar.

“By dint of using honey and syrup, I got used to white sugar. And now, I find that it tastes a little factory, chemical. They say it’s neutral, sugar, but it’s not completely. Then why would we want to be neutral at all costs? It’s a bit the same debate in the world of spirits, where the watchword is to make vodkas and gin bases that taste absolutely nothing. »

According to Claudia, all you need to know is how to use maple syrup to prevent everything from tainting it.

The Candide restaurant also makes a “Melbourne sour” with Rosemont Whisky, red wine, verjuice and maple. The majority of bar chef Tommy Benoît’s cocktails contain this sugar which, along with honey once again, has been used the most at this fine locavore address since the very beginning.

“Maple syrup is really underused in Quebec. It’s a recognized product in gastronomy all over the world, it’s versatile, it’s accessible to us, but we neglect it. At Candide, it’s an integral part of the kitchen and the bar,” remarks Tommy Benoît.

It won’t surprise anyone, but the restaurant Au Pied de Cochon has several maple-based cocktails on its menu. The martini is made with Redoux vodka (a filtrate-elongated neutral grain alcohol, that residual product of the osmosis process of maple sap), maple vermouth from Intermiel and a taffy “lollipop”. . It is a slightly sweet martini, of surprising finesse.

On paper, the Moji-Pho may surprise. But the combination of spicy vodka, maple syrup and coriander is explosive! It was Alexandre Meilleur, also the restaurant’s sommelier, who designed these slightly offbeat cocktails showcasing various maple products from the group which, as we know, owns a maple grove in Mirabel. Contrary to others, he sees the smoothness, the thickness of our syrup as an asset.

Claudia Doyon will not hesitate to add a little water to the syrup to thin it out and dilute it if necessary. And she will adapt to the product she has on hand, depending on whether it is light, medium or dark, sweet or more flavorful.

In addition to maple syrup itself, more and more maple-based alcohols are excellent allies for bartenders who wish to work with our local treasures. At first very “dessert” (essential Coureur des bois and other creams), the products have become less and less sweet, with gins added with syrup (Réduit de Léo and Bourgeon), vermouths and now acerum, a completely dry spirits, aged in barrels or not, which can serve as an excellent base. The new Annette wine bar also combines white acerum and maple vermouth in its “Temps des sucres” cocktail. It’s time for everyone to get on board!

The beautiful Sunday

• A recipe by Claudia Doyon
• Recommended glass: Marie-Antoinette
• Method: In a shaker
• Preparation time: 2 minutes
• Serving: 1

Ingredients

• 2 oz Sugar Shack Maple Rye
• 1 oz oat milk
• 0.75 oz maple syrup
• 3 dashes of Amer Kebek Aromatik (or other aromatic bitter like Angostura)
• 1 egg white

Method

1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker but do not add ice.
2. Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.
3. Add ice and shake again for about 8 seconds.
4. Strain into the glass using a colander and a sieve.

Come on, blues!

• A recipe by Claudia Doyon
• Recommended Glass: Old Fashioned
• Method: In a shaker
• Preparation time: 2 minutes
• Serving: 1

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz SÈV Acte 1 acerum (or other white acerum)
• 1.5 oz haskap (or blueberry) shrub* – see recipe below
• 2 dashes of Bitter Kebek Flowers (or other floral bitter)
• 1 large ice cube

Preparation

1. Pour all the ingredients into a shaker. Add ice.
2. Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.
3. Strain into the glass using a colander and a sieve, over a large ice cube.

* Shrub is a vinegary fruit syrup.

“Quick” haskap (or blueberry) shrub

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup frozen haskaps (or blueberries*)
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (adjust the amount of vinegar to taste)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of water

Preparation

1. Put all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 8 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and leave to macerate in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Squeeze the fruit using a pestle. Filter the shrub using a sieve to set aside the fruits and keep only the liquid. You can reuse the fruit for another cooking recipe or dehydrate it.

* You will have less acidity with blueberries and your shrub will be a little sweeter.