Autumn Leaves

The Autumn Leaves

• 2 ounces rye whiskey.
• 1/2 ounces orange liqueur
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• 2 dashes black walnut bitters
• 1 bar spoonful maple syrup
• Stir with ice for at least two minutes, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

I used Jim Beam Rye.  I think as a general rule, if you make a drink with whiskey, you should use one you enjoy, and I enjoy Jim Beam Rye.  But I don't think there's any reason to bust out your Templeton for a drink that has sugary mixers.  Same goes for the orange liqueur.  You could use Cointreau but I just don't think there's any reason for it; I would have used our orange Curaçao but I found Triple Sec first.

The keys to this drink are the bitters, and the real maple syrup.  Real maple syrup is incredible, tastes almost nothing like Mrs. Buttersworth on pancakes, and is really expensive.  So get a small bottle and use it for recipes like this.  Black walnut bitters are also incredible, and impart a nice nuttiness to anything like coffee.  This is the only cocktail I've found that uses black walnut bitters but I'm going to try to find more because this cocktail is fantastic.  It tastes just like fall.  I wonder how it would work with a cinnamon stick garnish.