An old-fashioned built for the turn of the season — the last warmth of summer meeting the first depth of fall. The season calls for something warm, unhurried, and made to be sipped as the light changes.
Gently Spiced
Smoky
Warming
Ingredients
2 oz Pollinator Bourbon
¼ oz pure maple syrup (grade A)
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash mole bitters (optional — adds a subtle earthiness)
1 large clear ice cube
Garnish: Orange peel, for expressing and serving
Instructions
Build in the glass: Add the maple syrup and both bitters directly to a rocks glass. No mixing tin needed — this drink is built where it's served.
Add the bourbon: Pour the Pollinator Bourbon over the syrup and bitters. The weight of the spirit begins to integrate the ingredients as it hits the glass — the maple finish of the bourbon and the maple syrup meeting each other before you've even stirred.
Stir with intention: Add the large ice cube and stir slowly for 20–25 rotations. You are chilling, diluting slightly, and bringing the drink together. Stop when the glass feels cold in your hand, and the liquid looks just slightly viscous.
Express the orange peel: Hold a wide strip of orange peel skin-side down over the glass and bend it sharply to release the oils across the drink's surface. The citrus oils lift the spice and brighten the maple without competing with it. Run the peel around the rim, then place it in or alongside the glass.
Sit with it: This is not a drink to finish quickly. The maple finish in the Pollinator Bourbon and the maple syrup in the glass echo each other slowly, round by round. Pour it as the light shifts. Give it the time it deserves.
