I’d be more likely to pair whiskey with simple syrup than maple syrup, but I was intrigued by the Whiskey Sour recipe that I spotted in the Bemus Area Hometown Favorites cookbook from the Bemus Point Historical Society. This western New York town was once famous for its ferry, the shortest way for the public to cross Chautauqua Lake before a bridge was built. I found the book at the Hotel Lenhart, which opened in the 1880s and still serves brunch with wait staff wearing Victorian dress. A little further down the lake is comedian Lucille Ball’s hometown of Celoron.

The Whiskey Sour recipe — its history not specified, though local producers do make maple syrup — calls for equal measures of maple syrup and whiskey, thinned by lemon juice. I though the drink might be too sweet but the maple balanced out the harsh edges of the bourbon and the lemon. Think of it as a spring tonic.

The Hotel Lenhart staff in 1881

Whiskey Sour
Serves 2

4 ounces whiskey [I used bourbon]
2 ounces lemon juice
4 ounces maple syrup
Orange slices and maraschino cherries, for garnish [I omitted cherries because I didn’t have any]

Place all ingredients in a blender. Mix well. Serve on the rocks. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.