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The Fabled Pour

Cinnamon

Also called Ceylon cinnamon, cassia, canela, cinnamon stick

Dried bark of the cinnamon tree, used in sticks for syrups and infusions and as a stirrer or a flamed garnish. Ceylon cinnamon is thin, papery and delicate; cassia is thick, sweet and hot and is what most of the world calls cinnamon. Both suit whiskey, rum, brandy and apple.

  • sweet warm spice
  • woody
  • clove
  • honey
  • pepper heat in cassia
  • floral in Ceylon

Origin

Ceylon cinnamon is the dried inner bark of Cinnamomum verum, a small evergreen native to Sri Lanka, formerly known as C. zeylanicum; cassia comes from related trees and is the bolder bark sold as cinnamon in North America. Both were among the earliest traded spices between Asia and the Mediterranean. In drinks, cinnamon shaped mulled wine, hot toddies and the spiced syrups of the tiki bar.

Production and safety

Store sticks airtight away from light; they hold aroma for a year or more, ground cinnamon for months. Cassia contains coumarin, and prolonged heavy use can be a problem for sensitive people such as those with liver disease; cocktail quantities are far below any concern, but Ceylon, which carries only a trace, is the choice for anyone drinking spiced drinks daily. Never flame cinnamon near a guest's face or hair; ground cinnamon in a flame flares.

Allergens: None

Common uses

  • cinnamon syrup
  • hot toddy and mulled wine
  • a cinnamon stick stirrer in an Old Fashioned
  • flamed cinnamon over a mezcal drink
  • spiced rum infusions

Sources

  1. Cinnamomum verum (NC State Extension Plant Toolbox), NC State Extension · secondary source, retrieved 2026-10-11
  2. Cinnamon: usefulness and safety, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health · primary source, retrieved 2026-10-11