Coffee Maple Spritz

Maple season begins. The freeze-thaw is consistent now — nights below thirty, days above thirty-five — and the sap is running well from the first twenty taps I set Thursday morning. By afternoon I had six gallons in the collection tank, which is a respectable first day. The season has started. Whatever else is happening in the world, the sap runs on its own schedule and I am grateful for it.

The virus has reached the United States in force. New York has cases now, and California, and the news from Italy is severe. Vermont is recommending people over sixty avoid crowds. I am sixty-seven. Helen is sixty-six. I thought about whether to attend the monthly AARP meeting in Hinesburg that I occasionally go to (for Helen's benefit, really — she goes for the social contact; I go because she goes) and decided we would skip it this month. Helen agreed without argument, which means she had already decided the same thing.

I set the remaining twenty-two taps Saturday. Forty-two in all, the same count as always. David called and offered to come help. I said the tapping is fine and I would rather he not make the drive unnecessarily. He said okay. He said keep me posted. I will keep him posted. He is a good son. He has always been a good son. He worries in the Bergstrom way: quietly, by offering to show up, and accepting it when you say no without requiring an explanation for the no.

The first boil was Saturday afternoon — small batch, maybe two gallons of syrup from the first day's sap. I ate the pancakes Sunday morning with the season's first syrup and thought: this is what matters. Right here. This kitchen, this syrup, this house, Helen across the table. Everything else is navigation.

The pancakes on Sunday morning were enough on their own — but after a first boil, after a season that finally started moving, I wanted something that let the syrup carry a little further into the day. Helen had her tea; I made myself one of these. A Coffee Maple Spritz sounds fancier than it is, which is exactly the point: it’s just cold coffee, real maple syrup, and a little fizz, but when the syrup is yours — from your trees, your sap, your first run of the year — every sip lands differently. This one’s for the quiet mornings that remind you what matters.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

3/4 cup cold brew coffee or chilled strong-brewed coffee
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (Grade A or darker for robust flavor)
1/2 cup sparkling water or club soda, chilled
1/4 cup whole milk or oat milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup ice cubes
Pinch of cinnamon, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Mix the base. In a tall glass or cocktail shaker, combine the cold brew coffee, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir well until the maple syrup is fully dissolved into the coffee.
Add ice. Fill a tall serving glass generously with ice cubes.
Pour and top. Pour the maple coffee mixture over the ice, then gently top with chilled sparkling water or club soda. Do not stir vigorously — a light fold preserves the fizz.
Garnish and serve. Dust lightly with cinnamon if desired. Serve immediately with a wide straw or long spoon.

Nutrition (per serving)

Coffee Maple Spritz — The First Syrup of the Season Deserves a Proper Toast