A step-by-step, photographic guide to crafting an original Stockade Rum Old Fashioned, featuring maple syrup as a key ingredient, with co-owner and head mixologist Paul Maloney leading the way.

The Old Fashioned is a simple, classic cocktail traditionally made with booze, bitters, and a sugar cube. Paul Maloney and Josh Rosenmeyer of Stockade Tavern put a spin on the style with their Rum Old Fashioned, made with two different kinds of rum, Fernet Branca, Angostura Orange Bitters, and maple syrup. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
First step for making a Stockade-style Rum Old Fashioned is gathering your ingredients. Paul Maloney uses the rich, dark, oak-aged El Dorado 12-Year Old Guyana Rum; navy strength Smith & Cross rum, which is 114 proof; Fernet Branca, an Italian herbal liqueur, Angostura Orange Bitters, and maple syrup. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
Maloney gets his maple syrup from his brother-in-law, Tristan, who makes his own in Rosendale. Cooking the syrup down in a big pot over a wood-burning fire gives it a smokey flavor. “It’s perfect for a cocktail,” Maloney says. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
“Traditionally, an old fashioned is made right in the glass,” says Maloney. Start with one ounce of the navy strength Smith & Cross rum. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
Add one ounce of the El Dorado 12-year old rum. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
Add 1/4 ounce of the Fernet Branca, which Maloney says is great for settling your stomach after a big meal. The Branca’s bitterness is off-set by the rum’s sweetness, but its herbal character makes the drink more complex. (Fun fact: Fernet Branca made it through Prohibition because people were able to sell it in drug stores as a tincture—Maloney doesn’t only make a great drink, he can give you a history lesson through the process!) Credit: Jaclyn Murray
Add two dashes of Angostura Orange Bitters. “Orange and rum go together so well,” says Maloney. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
Add one teaspoon maple syrup. (The syrup should be cut half and half with water to mellow the sweetness and to make it more pourable.) Credit: Jaclyn Murray
“Always taste your drink before stirring to make sure the flavors are all there before adding ice,” says Maloney. “You don’t want anything to overpower a drink. You want it to be well balanced.” Credit: Jaclyn Murray
“Add in some gorgeous big cold draft ice cubes,” says Maloney. (Cold draft is the type of freezer they use at Stockade to make big, sturdy, square pieces of ice, but Maloney says home freezers generally make better ice than most commercial machines.) Credit: Jaclyn Murray
Maloney says a quarter of a cocktail should be water. “It takes the heat out and brings out a floralness that you don’t get until the water hits it,” he says. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
Get a nice big peel of orange without too much of the white. “It’s really bitter, and not in a good way,” says Maloney. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
Squeeze in some oil from the orange peel. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
Then rub the peel over the rim before garnishing the drink with it. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
Add straws for stirring, but make sure to drink the cocktail straight from the glass. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
The finished product: a Stockade Tavern-style Rum Old Fashioned with maple syrup. Credit: Jaclyn Murray
Stockade Tavern opens at 4pm from Tuesday to Saturday. Stop in to try more of their classic crafted cocktails. Credit: Jaclyn Murray