From the Garden

THE GREAT CANADIAN JULEP

We take the Southern standby on a trip north of the border, swapping in rye for bourbon, sweetening it with maple syrup instead of sugar, and subbing fragrant thyme for mint. Make sure to garnish with a generous bouquet of thyme so you inhale its perfume with every sip.

Crushed ice

1 oz Canadian rye whisky

1 oz Calvados

⁄ oz Thyme-Infused Maple Syrup (recipe follows) Thyme sprigs to garnish

Fill a chilled Julep cup or Lowball glass two-thirds with crushed ice. Add rye, Calvados and syrup. Holding cup or glass by rim with fingertips, stir ice for 15 seconds. Top with more crushed ice and garnish with thyme. Serve with a straw.

Makes 1 drink

THYME-INFUSED MAPLE SYRUP

Since there will invariably be le overs a er making cocktails, this superb syrup is excellent on pancakes and French toast, especially if bacon, ham or sausages are sharing the plate.

⁄ cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped thyme

Combine maple syrup and thyme in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat. When it starts bubbling, remove from heat and cool completely.

Fine-strain into bowl, pressing on solids to extract syrup. Discard solids. Transfer to glass jar with lid. Refrigerate up to 1 month.

Makes ⁄ cup (125 mL)