Maple Syrup is Having a Moment and Our Editors Can’t Get Enough of These 3 Brands

After a winter market season spent spotting tons of trending breakfast and brunch gifts and gourmet goodies, our editors are taking a closer look at the most important meal of the day and all the giftables and delicious new edible items that are capturing customers’ attention in the category. One trend that has really caught our editors’ attention? The rise of flavor-forward syrups, honeys and other spreads that bring unique takes on classic flavors and are all perfect for pancakes, waffles, crepes, biscuits — and even brunchtime booze. To help you get in on this breakfast-friendly gourmet movement, read on to learn more about three maple syrups our editors’ have tested, tasted and totally fallen in love with this week.

Adelaide Elliott’s Pick: Sparkle Syrup by Runamok

Looking for a way to make your day or your customers’ days a little more special? Look no further than Runamok’s Sparkle Syrup. Made with pure maple syrup infused with food-grade edible pearlescent mica, I chose to try out Sparkle Syrup on a random weekday just to mix things up a little and add some interest to my personal plate of pancakes. The syrup was a dazzling, shimmering addition to my breakfast’s look, but more importantly for me, it was also delicious, staying true to the clean, complex maple flavor with hints of caramel and vanilla that I love in a pure maple syrup. The sparkles added lots to look at but did not impact the flavor.

While I tested Runamok’s Sparkle Syrup on its traditional pancake partner, the Vermont-based syrup and honey brand suggests that sparkle syrup – made with mica sustainably sourced from the U.S. – can be used to transform a number of drinks and foods. Per the website’s suggestion, Sparkle Syrup can be used just about anywhere traditional maple syrup can be, helping to add a little dazzle to desserts as a natural sweetener or as a magical cocktail mixer – Runamok encourage experimentation! Sparkly Syrup’s versatility makes it a great addition to a number of store displays, too. Pair the syrup with other pancake toppers and even pancake and waffle mixes or line it up with a dessert display as a fund add on. For stores not so invested in gourmet, that cocktail compatibility comes in handy. Sparkle Syrup would look great next to an assortment of mixers and barware, too!

#GDAfindoftheweek: Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup by Bourbon Barrel Foods

This certified-organic Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup from the minds behind Bourbon Barrel Foods is made in Louisville, Kentucky and aged in white oak bourbon barrels to help mature the syrup’s taste and add a smoky, oak level to its flavor. Packaged in giftable 8 oz. glass bottles, this maple syrup’s bourbon ageing makes it a perfect addition to bourbon-based cocktails that need a little sweet kick like an old fashioned or a Kentucky mule, and it also works perfectly on top of pancakes and other breakfast items! Pair with Bourbon Barrel Foods’ Bourbon Barrel Buttermilk Pancake Mix to put together a coordinating breakfast display or mix the syrup in with Bourbon Barrel Foods’ branded barware and other mixers for your mixology loving customers.

Lenise Willis’ Pick: Coffee-Infused Syrup by Finding Home Farms

I’ve long been a fan of a good mimosa or the perfect espresso martini, but never have I considered a maple-syrup martini until I ran into Finding Home Farms at Atlanta Market. Instead of serving samples of their organic and infused syrups on their own, the brand instead served maple martinis to show their versatility. It was a pretty clever idea, considering the growth of the DIY cocktail movement! Since then, I decided to create my own cocktail with some of the samples they handed out in their showroom (with Simblist). Considering how much I love espresso martinis, I thought the coffee-infused syrup would make for an excellent concoction and boy was I right! I followed a recipe on the Finding Home Farms site for a Creamy Mapletini Martini, which ended up tasting like a boozy milkshake — so good! The company is family owned, produces its organic maple syrups in America and creates delicious syrups that are sure to help any at-home chef up the ante for the most important meal of the day.

See Also From GDA:

• 3 Fresh Finds for All the Foodies Shopping in Your Stores
• 3 Gourmet Goodies to Help Your Customers Kick off the Fall Season