Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour
Meet the best whiskey sour recipe—it's full of bourbon and fresh lemon, sweetened with maple syrup and includes a hint of cinnamon (spice is optional).
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 1, 2024
When presented with a cocktail menu, I just can’t help but order a whiskey drink. An Old Fashioned, Manhattan, a well-made Whiskey Sour or any spin on the above. I’m a whiskey girl. Always have been, always will be.
Naturally, when I spied the “cinnamon maple sour” on the menu at a local bar the other day, I had to order it. I liked it so much that I had to recreate it at home.
Watch How to Make Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour
This whiskey sour recipe is sweetened with maple syrup, which tastes so much more interesting than basic simple syrup. The recipe includes plenty of fresh lemon juice and a hefty pinch of ground cinnamon, which offers some warming flavor for cold winter days. You can skip the cinnamon, though, if you would like a classic whiskey sour.
This is my last post before I take off for the holidays. Be merry and be safe! I appreciate you all so much for hanging out with me here and cooking my recipes in your kitchens.
More Cozy Whiskey Drinks to Enjoy
Here are a few more of my favorites:
Please let me know how these drinks turn out for you in the comments!
Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour
Meet the best whiskey sour recipe—it’s full of bourbon and fresh lemon, sweetened with maple syrup and includes a hint of cinnamon (spice is optional). Feel free to multiply the amounts given below by up to four, if you’d like to make a bigger batch in your cocktail shaker all at once.
Ingredients
Per cocktail
- 1 ½ ounces (3 tablespoons) Bulleit bourbon or your bourbon of choice
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice
- 2 to 4 teaspoons maple syrup, to taste (I like 3 teaspoons, which is the equivalent of ½ ounce or 1 tablespoon)
- Pinch of ground cinnamon, optional
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker or mason jar about two-thirds full with ice. Pour in the bourbon, lemon juice, maple syrup and a pinch of ground cinnamon. Securely fasten the lid and shake well.
- Pour fresh ice into your cocktail glass and strain the cold whiskey sour mixture into the glass. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe inspired by the cinnamon maple whiskey sour at Summit Grill and Bar in Kansas City.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
So many lovely Christmassy treats! Kate, you’re spoiling us. I was planning on making your Earl Grey French 75 (I adore Earl Grey), but this looks divine too. I’m also a whisky girl I think, but then one that drinks hers plain, without ice or other things that distract from the whisky taste. Do you also drink your whisky like that, or always cocktail style?
Happy holidays, and we’ll see you in 2016!
Merry Christmas, Evelyn! I’d say you’re more of a true whiskey girl than I am, because I need at least ice or some add-ins to really love it. Hope you enjoy this one!
I always go for a whiskey drink too! I used to hate whiskey (bad college experience : /) but now I see how amazing it can be. I love a good sour recipe too, so this is going into my rotation ASAP! Have a lovely holiday Kate!
I’ll take a glass please!
This sounds incredible, Kate!! I’m making one tonight. Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Hope you loved your cocktail, Kate! Happy holidays!
Wow, so these also look quite delicious! I will have to try these as well over the holidays! Thanks Kate!
Have you tried Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey? It’s wonderful.
I have! It is sure easy to drink. :)
Try fireball whiskey shot with a glass of Angry Orchard. It’s called Angry Balls! It tastes like apple pie
Whiskey is my favorite base spirit, and this rendition of a whiskey sour sounds fantastic. I tend to like my whiskey sours shaken with egg whites, so I might try that variation.
I think a frothy egg white version would be great!
It looks really delicious. Im going to make this cocktail this weekend. Thanks :)
I love that you use maple syrup instead of simple syrup – I bet it adds such a rich, seasonal flavor. This sounds absolutely delicious!
Yum!!
OMG! I just got into bourbon whiskey and this is the best and perfect for this time of the year. So delish!
I’m excited you loved it, Ari! Thank you for your review.
the flavor combination is like nothing I’ve seen in a drink before! can’t wait to try this
I’m a whiskey girl too! Just ordered a cocktail this week that had maple syrup instead of simple syrup and it was so smooth. Where are your glasses from? My husband loves them & wants them:)
Hi India! They’re from IKEA. Very inexpensive! :)
We made these tonight for a Christmas party. They were a huge hit! Everyone loved them! So incredibly good!
Oh, yay! I’m so glad to hear it. Happy holidays!
We are a family of whiskey drinkers as well and I’d love to try these for our Christmas dinner! Do you think we could use Crown Maple in place of the bourbon in the recipe? I’ll let you know how it turns out if we do that.
Merry Christmas!
Hi Ericka! Yes, I think you could! You might want to scale back on the added maple syrup since your whiskey has maple flavor in it already. Just play with it—I think you’ll love it! Happy holidays!
Just did a trail run- perfect! Serving these on Christmas. Thank you so much for the easy holiday cocktail!!
Hooray!!! Thank you, Jess, and merry Christmas! :)
Oops- TRIAL run, don’t worry, I stayed off the trails ;)
This looks amazing, I really need to try a whiskey cocktail.
l love the glasses you’ve used in these pictures.
Have a fantastic holiday Kate! Hope Cookie gets lots of treats. x
Thank you, Angela! The glasses were an IKEA find. Happy holidays to you, too!
My husband and I had this last night – SO good! Thank you! One of my favorites now.
Hooray! Thanks, Trish!
This looks so yummy! My husband is a whiskey sour fan so I’ll have to ask him to work this twist into his repertoire!
i have yet to like whiskey but if i see something fancy on the menu, i tend to get it and this is one of them for sure.
Well, hello there, Kate (and Cookie)! I just came across your blog, and I just had to say hi once I saw this amazing cocktail! Whiskey is one of my favourite things to play with (drinks, bakes, food, you name it), so obviously I’m in love with this cinnamon-maple version! You have a wonderful blog, and I’m looking forward to reading about your 2016 adventures! Lots of love and luck for the new year!
Thanks for saying hello, Amanda! Always nice to hear from a fellow whiskey fan. :) Happy New Year!
I drank this on New Year’s – who needs champagne?! Super SUPER good cocktail – sweet, tangy, sharp, loved it.
Hooray! Thank you, Rebecca. :) Happy New Year!
This was our NYE celebratory drink and was so good that we had to make one on Jan 1 too! As usual, tasty recipe, Kate!
Cheers! Thank you, Laura, and Happy New Year!
our new favorite boozy drink! <3 it's so fantastic. not really too maple-y with the 2 tsps. just helps to sweeten a little. so delicious!
Yay, thanks Kate!
This became my pocket cocktail for the 2015 holiday season! I impressed party guests AND my bartender roommates! I occasionally used an egg white for more body (it’s a thing!) and it was super delish.
Thank you!!
lovely
this was delicious! i used a cinnamon stick instead of powder in the finished glass. thanks!
Even makes a bad whiskey taste good :)
Wow. My partner just whipped these up with “a splash” of extra bourbon. We used Maker’s Mark. Just what I needed! Excellent recipe.
This is my go to cocktail of choice at home now, and my first whiskey sour ever. I ordered one out at a restaurant after making this a few times thinking the “real thing” must be good, and had to ask them to make me something else- sour mix does NOT compare to fresh lemon and the complexity of maple syrup in this drink. This is the where the bar is set that all other whiskey sours must meet.
I’m blushing, Dani! I’m no cocktail expert, but that is high praise ;) Appreciate it!
This drink was super easy and tasted like somethingid buy at a restaurant. Loved it!
Great! I am glad you thought so, Janelle. If you would want to leave a star review, I would really appreciate it!
Perfect cocktail around the holidays, but where can I buy a set of those glasses?? Would be a great addition to our bar
They’re from Ikea! :)
Found this recipe today and made it straight away. Loved the taste but sadly it didn’t help me win Monopoly!
Sorry about Monopoly! But I’m happy the recipe turned out :)
Yum! I too am a whiskey girl (well, bourbon to be exact). I usually drink my Bulleit with a few shakes of walnut bitters, a splash of water and a Luxardo cherry but this was a delicious change of pace for the holiday season. Thanks for this and all of your wonderful recipes. Love your cookbook too!
Oh, whiskey :) Thank you for your support!
This is excellent! My only suggestion would be to add an orange slice. Cheers!
Thank you, Jack!
I made these for a holiday party and they were amazing! I used 3 tsp. maple syrup per drink. These were a big hit. Thanks Kate!
How fun, Laura! Thanks for your review.
Quite good! I wasn’t really sure if I’d like this, but I think the maple syrup and cinnamon toned down the whiskey nicely!
I’m glad you gave it a try and then loved it, Brenda!
What?! This is amazing! My girlfriend and I have been consistently blown away by recipes on your blog and in your book, and I just made this cocktail after googling for “whiskey cocktails for winter” and not even realizing I was clicking on your page! Girlfriend said it was the best cocktail I’ve made for her, and when I went to save the recipe, we both had an “OMG OF COURSE” moment when finally realizing I had clicked on a link to your blog!
The best! I love it. I recommend trying my New York sour too! I think I might like that one more. :)
Love this! How do you think it would do in a large batch in a slow cooker? I’m looking for a warm treat for a friend’s birthday party and thought about experimenting with this. Any cautions or tips? Thank you so much!
You can mix several drinks in a shaker at once, or multiply the recipe and serve in a pitcher with some ice (add fresh ice to glasses before pouring).
My bff gave us a cocktail basket with all the makings for this cocktail and some super cute glasses for Christmas.
It is now my go-to cocktail this winter: so balanced and refreshing.
Sometimes I use Penzey’s pie spice in place of the cinnamon.
That’s a great idea! I’m glad this recipe helps you use it. :) I appreciate the review, Christi.
Isn’t it too much alcohol? Or is it easy to drink? Thanks!!
This is a great sipping cocktail!
OMG yummmmm!! Any suggestions on how to make this on a large scale for a party???
You can mix several drinks in a shaker at once, or multiply the recipe and serve in a pitcher with some ice (add fresh ice to glasses before pouring).
Thinking about trying this for the weekend, I’m a big fan of Bulleit, and whiskey sours, and the maple syrup sounds amazing.. I just saw an article where they brought the maple syrup to a simmer on the stove with a few cinnamon sticks and lemon peels for a similar recipe, do you think that would be a good idea?
That sounds delicious and a great way to infuse flavors! Let me know what you think if you try it.
Usually more of a rum or vodka girl but this was so delicious and warming for a fall evening! Using real maple syrup in a cocktail blended so well and the flavors were amazing. Thanks for the recipe, serving at my next fall dinner party!
I’m happy you tried it!
This is a great drink!!! I made a little extra and stored it in the fridge and a few days later it was even better!! Will definitely be making these for my family over the holidays
Thank you, Carrie!
We loved this recipe! I was out of lemon juice so substituted lime juice instead and it was delicious. The maple syrup was 2 steps easier than simple sugar and added a beautiful maple note. I added a twist of orange for color and flavor. Everyone came back for more. ;)
Thanks for your comment, Patti!
Amazing & simple new classic cocktail. It was a smashing success this Thanksgiving at small family gathering. Used High West Prairie Bourbon, no ground cinnamon but garnished with cinnamon bark and it was amazing. Making again for big Christmas party.
Looks great, gonna try. Also always go for whiskey on a cocktail menu :) I love those glasses that you photographed this drink here in, where can I find those??
Hey Kate! The glasses are from IKEA!
Great recipe! Nice balance of tart with sweet and cinnamon adds some depth.
This is fantastic! A friend recommended it to me, and I just made it with 2-3 pinches of cinnamon and it might be my new favorite fall cocktail. (That I’m drinking in April.)
Love it! My boyfriend loves bourbon/rye so I used Dillon’s. Turned out great for a birthday cocktail. I’m not a huge spirit-forward gal when it comes to bourbon, so I added a little ginger beer, and WOW. Would definitely recommend!
This drink is delicious! The recipe is crystal clear, but also flexible. Thanks for sharing!