Nothing beats warm maple syrup paired with your favorite crepe or pancake, but that’s just one of the many uses for this liquid gold. Use it as a sweetener in your coffee or drizzled over vanilla ice cream. Whisk it into salad dressing for a unique, nuanced flavor. Use it on roast veggies (it elevates brussel sprouts to epicurean levels). If you love to cook, there are plenty of recipes that incorporate maple syrup.
It’s also a fine ingredient on your bar cart, as a sweetener in cocktails, like in the Fairmont’s Canada 150 Cocktail, the Whiskey Maple.
When visiting Canada, look for maple-infused dishes on restaurant menus. Le Sam Bistro at the iconic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City features fine-dining dishes with maple syrup, such as its Leeks Salmon Tartare, and its tempting Maple Syrup Mille-Feuille dessert.
[ Read: What to do in Quebec ]
You’ll also find that the maple sap used to create maple syrup is also the base for many delicious Canadian delicacies, from fortified wines to liqueurs to maple-cured fish and meats.
Maple leaf cream sandwich cookies are also a popular souvenir for travelers looking to bring a taste of Canada home.
As maple sap requires below-freezing temperatures in the Winter and a slow Spring thaw, the East Coast and Maritimes are the best places in the country to experience maple syrup and all its products.
