Maple Donut Old Fashioned made with 2 Tantalizing Secret Ingredients!

A maple donut old fashioned is calling your name! Oh, and did I mention this cocktail comes with a snack?? A very tasty snack that is! It rhymes with “macon”….hmmm what could it be?? 😂

Maple Donut & Bacon Simple Syrup

Have you ever had a maple donut with crumbled bacon?? There was this donut shop that I used to go to in college called Sugar Shack Donuts in Richmond, Va and this is where I first discovered the maple bacon donut. And let me tell you, it was amazing. So, this got me thinking on how I could turn it into a cocktail, and thus the Maple Donut Old Fashioned was born!

The KEY component to this cocktail is the simple syrup made. There are a few different ways to make this simple syrup, so let’s dive into those!

Option 1: The Smokeshow Way

To make this simple syrup the way we did, you will need pure maple candies. These maple candies are AMAZING and I can normally find them this time of year at Trader Joe’s or even World Market. If you just do a quick google search with “pure maple candies” you’ll be able to find all of the locations available for purchasing. But, y’all, when you eat one of these, the flavor burst is something that I can’t even describe. It’s THAT good. When I first tried one, I knew I would want to turn it into a simple syrup one day, but just never got around to doing so.

Once you have gathered these candies, you’ll need at least 4 of them to make the simple syrup for the maple donut old fashioned. Next, you will need…bacon bits!!! You can either purchase these in a jar, or if you want to just cook some bacon and make your own, more power to you!

To make the simple syrup, you will need 1/4 cup of water, 3-4 maple candies depending on your own sweetness level desired, and 1/3 cup of bacon bits. Grab a pot and add in all of these ingredients over medium high-heat. Once maple candies have dissolved stir for a few more minutes, then turn the heat off. This should be about 10 minutes. Then, let cool and transfer to a container that seals. Oh! And try not to drink it all in one sitting- it’ll be difficult to save it for the cocktail! Haha!

Option 2

If you can not find maple candies or you just can’t wait to indulge in the maple donut old fashioned, you can use pure maple syrup! I suggest using pure instead of convention. Read this article to find out the difference in the two- I never knew some of these fun facts!

Just like with the maple candies, let’s try and match up the syrup ratio. Use the same amount of water, but this time use 1/3 of a cup of maple syrup and 1/3 of a cup of bacon bits. Stir until full combined, about 10 minutes, and then follow the same storage process.

Both options are delicious, but if you’re looking for the best, I would go with option 1 in my opinion!

You mentioned a SNACK???

That’s right! I said earlier that the maple donut old fashioned comes with a snack! Cocktails that come with a munchie are always my favorite! For this cocktail, I chose to make…candied bacon. MIC DROP!

To make the candied bacon, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place bacon strips on a lined baking sheet and season with black pepper, a touch of cayenne for spice if you’d like, and a BUNCH of brown sugar. Use your hands to massage the brown sugar onto the bacon. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until desired crispness is reached. You’ll want it to be straight as an arrow when you pick it up! Your maple donut old fashioned will now rank among the best tasting drinks you’ve made!

Let’s Smoke the Maple Donut Old Fashioned

Here at Smokeshow, we have had 4 mainline smoke dusts for the 2 years that we’ve been in business. Those flavors are Apple, Bourbon Barrel (bourbon-soaked oak), Cherry, and Hickory. To find out more about these flavors, check out this blog: Smoke Dust Flavors.

Well, since launching those flavors, we have added 6 herbs and spices to the line-up, too. Now, we are so excited to have finally released a new wood species and, you guessed it, it’s Maple Smoke Dust!! Maple Smoke Dust gives a more subtle, mild, and sweet smoky flavor! The perfect addition to this maple donut old fashioned! The maple smoke dust really makes the maple notes of the simple syrup shine and plays with the flavor of the bourbon nicely. It’s a perfect pairing!

Print Recipe

Maple Donut Old Fashioned

It's a donut-flavored Old Fashioned, no summary needed!!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Keyword: bacon, bourbon, maple, Old fashioned

Servings: 1

Equipment

• 1 pot, container, strainer, oven see blog entry for how to make simple syrup and candied bacon!

Ingredients

Cocktail

• 2 oz bourbon
• 1 oz maple & bacon simple syrup see blog entry above
• 3-4 drops cinnamon bitters

Garnish & Smoke

• 1 pinch Maple Smoke Dust you could use Apple if you don't have Maple
• 1 candied bacon strip clipped to cocktail

Instructions

Simple Syrup & Garnish

• Follow the steps in the blog above to see how to make simple syrup and candied bacon.

Cocktail

• In a mixing glass, add bourbon and simple syrup with ice. Stir for 20-30 seconds. Strain into glass.

Garnish & Smoke

• Place the smoker on top and add dust. Smoke, remove the smoker, drop in bitters and clip candied bacon to the side of the glass.