A mix of hazelnut, maple, vanilla, and coffee, this Bourbon cocktail hits all the right notes for fall.

Fall Bourbon Cocktail

When the weather toes the line between sun-kissed days and chilly winter winds it’s time for your first taste of fall. And no, we’re not talking about Pumpkin Spice Lattes (leave those to the masses), we’ve moved on to something better— the Maplenut. A mix of hazelnut, maple, and vanilla, this Bourbon cocktail hits all the right notes for fall, without going into holiday overload.
Making this cocktail is a cinch, once you have all the ingredients on hand. The base of this cocktail, hazelnut milk, is best homemade but if you aren’t up for the challenge pick up a bottle from Wonder Press in Boulder. Hazelnut brings a depth to the cocktail you don’t get with other milks, aside from being a pleasant diversion from more standard almond milk.

Without crossing the line into sickly sweet holiday cocktails, maple, vanilla, and bourbon bring just enough of a hint of sweetness into the mix. Since we’ll mix with bourbon, which is inherently a bit on the sweeter side of the spectrum, we don’t need to add but a hint of maple, our primary source of sweetness. We’re mixing with Breckenridge Bourbon, but if you can’t find that stick to bourbon regardless— other whiskeys would be too spicy for this mix.

To keep the cocktail balanced, we’ll add a dash of cold brew coffee to bring a bit of bitterness to it. We’ve found cold brew to be preferred over hot brewed coffee for it’s natural smoothness that allows it to play a supporting role in the Maplenut without overpowering other flavors. Sidenote: Vanilla is a powerful flavor, so don’t get too crazy when it comes time to add it.

The Maplenut Bourbon Cocktail

1 oz Breckenridge Bourbon

2 oz Hazelnut Milk

¾ oz Cold Brew Coffee

½ oz Maple Syrup

1-2 drops Vanilla Extract

3-5 Cold Brew Ice Cubes (Optional)

To prepare:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Strain into rocks glass over homemade cold brew coffee cubes.

Cold Brew Cubes:
Pour remaining cold brew into an ice cube tray and freeze for cold brew cubes. Use these in the Maplenut and see how they help the cocktail evolve as they melt.

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