Ask most people what Maple Bacon Proof Syrup is for, and they will say the Old Fashioned. Fair enough — it is the best-known use, and the flavor was built with whiskey in mind. But treating Maple Bacon as a one-drink syrup wastes what actually makes it interesting: it is smoky, sweet, and a little savory, all in the same pour. That combination shows up well in a lot more glasses than a rocks glass with bitters.

What makes Maple Bacon work outside the Old Fashioned

The syrup does three things a plain simple syrup cannot. It brings real maple sweetness instead of just sugar. It carries a smoke note that behaves like a whiskey's char, so it bridges spirits that would not obviously go together. And it has a savory edge, from the bacon infusion, that gives a drink some weight instead of leaving it purely sweet. That weight is what lets it stand up to citrus in a sour, to vermouth in a stirred drink, to hot water in a toddy, and even to soda water with nothing alcoholic in the glass at all. Where a typical syrup fades into the background, Maple Bacon holds its own next to the spirit.

The five drinks below use that range on purpose. None of them are complicated, and none require special equipment — a shaker, a bar spoon, and a mug will get you through all five.

Five ways to use Maple Bacon beyond the Old Fashioned

1. Maple Bacon Whiskey Sour

Best for: anyone who already likes a classic sour and wants more depth than plain simple syrup gives it.

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon
• 0.75 oz lemon juice
• 0.75 oz Maple Bacon Proof Syrup
• 1 egg white (optional, for texture)

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker without ice and shake hard for about 15 seconds — this "dry shake" builds the foam.
2. Add ice and shake again until the shaker is cold.
3. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube.
4. Garnish with a lemon twist, or a small strip of cooked bacon if you want to lean into the flavor.

2. Maple Bacon Manhattan Twist

Best for: a stirred, spirit-forward drinker who wants a Manhattan with more back-end sweetness and a whisper of smoke.

Ingredients

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 0.25 oz Maple Bacon Proof Syrup
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.
2. Stir for about 30 seconds, until well chilled.
3. Strain into a chilled coupe.
4. Garnish with a brandied cherry or an orange twist.

If you have read our bourbon vs. rye breakdown, this is a good place to put it to use — rye's spice holds up better against the smoke here than bourbon does.

3. Maple Bacon Hot Toddy

Best for: cold weather, or anyone who wants a warm drink that is not just honey and lemon.

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon or dark rum
• 0.75 oz lemon juice
• 0.75 oz Maple Bacon Proof Syrup
• 4 oz hot water

Instructions

1. Warm a mug with hot water, then discard it.
2. Add the spirit, lemon juice, and syrup to the warm mug.
3. Top with hot water and stir.
4. Garnish with a cinnamon stick or a clove-studded lemon wheel.

4. Maple Bacon Brunch Cocktail

Best for: a brunch table that is already doing coffee and wants one drink that covers both.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz bourbon
• 0.5 oz coffee liqueur
• 0.5 oz Maple Bacon Proof Syrup
• 1 oz cold brew coffee

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake until cold, about 12 seconds.
3. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with a few whole coffee beans.

5. Maple Bacon Ginger Mocktail

Best for: designated drivers, or anyone who wants the flavor without the spirit.

Ingredients

• 1 oz Maple Bacon Proof Syrup
• 4 oz ginger beer
• 0.5 oz lime juice

Instructions

1. Fill a highball glass with ice.
2. Add the syrup and lime juice.
3. Top with ginger beer and stir once, gently, to combine.
4. Garnish with a lime wheel.

This one works because the syrup is doing the job a spirit usually does in a drink — adding weight and a slower finish — so it does not taste like an afterthought next to the alcoholic options on the table.

Why the syrup itself matters here

All five of these depend on the syrup pulling more weight than a bar syrup usually does, which only works if the syrup itself has something to it. Proof Syrup is made in small batches with raw cane sugar, not corn syrup, so it has real body and a finish that does not just taste sweet and stop. Mass-market bar mixers are built to be neutral and cheap to produce; this one is built to be a flavor ingredient in its own right, the same way you would think about a good vermouth or a bitters. That is the difference between a syrup that disappears into a drink and one that is doing some of the work described above.

A few practical tips

Start with less than you think

Maple Bacon is more concentrated in flavor than a plain simple syrup. In a sour or a stirred drink, start at 0.5 to 0.75 oz and adjust from there rather than swapping it in one-to-one for a recipe written around basic syrup.

Match it to darker spirits first

Bourbon, rye, and dark rum all bring their own smoke, oak, or caramel notes that meet the syrup halfway. It works with lighter spirits too, but use less so it does not dominate the glass.

Know what's in the bottle

Maple Bacon contains animal-derived ingredients, so it is not the one to reach for if you are serving a vegan guest — Black Walnut or Traditional are both vegan and work fine as a substitute in the toddy or the sour.

Store it like you would maple syrup

Unopened, it holds for up to two years, so there is no harm in keeping a bottle on hand even if you only make one of these a month.

Try the rest of the lineup

If Maple Bacon convinces you a syrup can carry more of a cocktail than expected, the rest of the Proof Syrup collection is worth a look, including what Black Walnut can do outside the Old Fashioned if you want a nuttier direction next.