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Unique Maple Products

Montreal merchants are flipping the switch when it comes to maple syrup. Quebec's prized export, it turns out, isn't just for pancakes anymore.

The blue tubing is surprisingly hard to see, given the contrast against the white snow. But once your eyes do pick it out, you realize it’s everywhere, snaking through the maple forest waist-high.

“What happened to the buckets?” you wonder, recalling the grade-school imagery of maple trees adorned with sap-collecting aluminium pails. But on this crisp spring day at the cabane à sucre in the Eastern Townships, just a short drive from Montréal, modern efficiency trumps nostalgia.

For the $233-million Canadian maple industry—in which Québec leads the way with 94 per cent of the market share—traditional sap buckets are now largely just for show.

In order to keep up with the world’s appetite for maple syrup, “sugar shacks” have become highly mechanized operations, producing more than 49-million kilograms of syrup annually—and most of it happens next month in rural French Canada.

However high-tech the process, the end product remains the same: a sweet golden syrup with an unforgettable taste. And this season, Québec’s export to the world is not just for pancakes anymore.

Check out these spots in and around Montréal for some sweet reinterpretations of maple syrup.

Maple Taffy Macaroon at Point G

Parisian-style macaroons are serious business for this trendy Plateau boutique, which bakes roughly 10,000 of the tiny treats every week. Just consider the pastel-coloured Eiffel Tower of macaroons on display in the window. With more than a dozen varieties on offer, choosing isn’t easy, but in honour of the season, we recommend the tooth-tingling tire d’érable macaroon ($1.50 a piece) - Point G

Maple Taffy Ice Cream at Le Glacier Bilboquet

Situated in the über-French Outremont neighbourhood, this local hot spot has become famous citywide thanks to its 30 flavours of rich, homemade ice cream and sorbets. On warm summer nights, it’s not unusual to see the lineup stretch around the block. Beat the crowds this spring and order a cone ($3.35) of rich, homemade maple taffy ice cream (called tire d’érable). It’s also available in one-litre tubs ($17.50).

Maple Cotton Candy at Au Pied De Cochon Cabane à Sucre

Legendary gourmand restaurant Au Pied de Cochon recently opened its own sugar shack, located in the countryside, a 45-minute drive west of downtown Montréal. The set menu ($45 per person) is a veritable orgy of maple syrup—you can find it in pretty much every dish—but what will send you home with a smile are the great bouquets of fluffy maple cotton candy for dessert. Don’t tarry: the restaurant is only open from March 19 until May - Au Pied De Cochon Cabane à Sucre

Maple Marshmallow at Europea Espace Boutique

Don’t let the understated storefront fool you. This chic lunch counter is home to one of the best-kept maple secrets in Old Montréal: maple marshmallow ($1.50 a piece). The pillowy rectangles, which come coated in a light maple dust, are big enough to share but also light enough for one person. Enjoy the sweet treat on the spot, or take it up to the chalet and roast it over the fire - Europea Espace Boutique

Maple Scotch Ale at Dieu Du Ciel!

This cozy, wood-panelled microbrewery boasts more than 80 varieties of beer, with a dozen brews on tap at any given moment. Just once a year, the brewmaster prepares a batch of a special maple scotch ale, poetically called Spring Equinox. The beer ($5.50 for a half-pint) has a lovely amber colour with flavours of caramel, malt and maple. Look for it in late March - Dieu Du Ciel!

Maple Whisky at SAQ

Sortilège is a golden maple whisky liqueur ($24.10 for a 375 ml bottle) which, in addition to a strong maple taste, delivers notes of brown sugar and caramel. Find it in any Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ), the province-run liquor store. Enjoy Sortilège while in town or take it home as a gift for an adventurous mixologist.