After two decades living in the Northeast, I can file this under ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ It took a drive north, into my bucket-list destiny of Montreal, to discover what I’ll forevermore call a ‘Quebec Old Fashioned.’ (Why on my bucket list?… It’s French! It’s coastal! … well, close enough — an island, and the St. Lawrence River is huge!)

An Old Fashioned is a time-tested concoction. It’s something our forebears drank, it’s a staple of steakhouses, and a go-to for the colder months — a drink that can shake its fist at the dark days of February. The deep, rich spiciness of the whisky crosses with the sweet sugar, botanical bitters and bright citrus. As the ice melts it improves with each sip, turning almost sweet tea-like. The Old Fashioned has had a resurgence in recent years with the rise of craft distilleries, and I am here for it.

The Sweet Switch: Syrup

An Old Fashioned only contains a handful of ingredients – whiskey, sugar, bitters, a little water, an orange peel and a cherry for garnish. Nothing that simple takes well to being messed with (croissants, carbonara sauce, etc). But what I’d always overlooked in the mix was the nature of the sugar cube. Yes, it’s satisfyingly square … but also processed. What if there was an abundant natural alternative, filled with complexities of its own? What about pure, deep brown, sweet-but-far-from-simple, maple syrup?

I’m sure there’s a Vermonter out there saying ‘Duh‘. (Apparently, I was too taken with the craft cider options there to ever notice an Old Fashioned mixed with the state’s number one ag product). But let’s give credit where credit is due — Quebec produces 72% of the WORLD’s maple syrup … 211 million gallons to VT’s 2.5 million! As they say, Canada is big. Quebec is twice the size of Texas! I conclude the Quebec Old Fashioned is an apt title.

In searching for a place to watch the beloved Montreal Canadiens while downtown, our family scored a Saturday night table at La Cage aux Sports, replete with not one, but two, movie theatre-sized TVs. The food was unremarkable, but La Cage is where I tried the French-Canadian version of this cocktail. They also prepared it with a local whiskey (St. Laurent). The fun of an Old Fashioned can be trying different whiskeys, or small-batch bitters (we usually use orange) to tweak the flavor of the drink. The sugar cube is usually a non-entity. It’s just the thing to be muddled (with ranging levels of difficulty, depending on whether you own a muddler and what you use to replace it if you don’t … “I keep saying I need to get a muddler!”)

In the case of the Quebec Old Fashioned, however, the syrup brings another chance at variation with its range of colors and flavor intensities.

Time to Mix

The other obvious plus here: NO MUDDLING!

1. Stir in the bitters and water, let them thin the viscous syrup.
2. Drop in the orange peel and give it a swirl to release its oils.
3. Add ice, and pour over your bourbon or rye of choice.
4. That Luxardo maraschino cherry you got for Christmas is finally having its moment as the garnish.

But the real cherry on top with the Quebec Old Fashioned is the way it ends — like dessert — with a bourbon-laced and (hey!) antioxidant-filled swig of syrup. Salud!

The Mocktail Version

Now for my mocktailers…. same rules apply for a Quebec Iced Tea. Stir syrup with a citrus peel, and a small amount of unchilled tea (so it’s easier to blend). Add ice, then the rest of the unsweetened tea!

Get creative with the base — try rooibos or cinnamon tea … or maybe even blueberry to serve with a pancake brunch!