You could drink your bourbon neat or in a wide range of cocktails like the classic mint julep and sophisticated Old Fashioned to modern spicy Boulevardier and the fruity Stone Fruit Sour.
Its slightly sweet and mellow flavor pairs beautifully with bright citrus, rich syrups, and herbal notes, making it suitable for hot summer months and cozy winters. Whether you are a seasoned mixologist or a curious beginner, there is a bourbon cocktail that will stir your soul.
So, gather your shaker and explore 20 bourbon cocktails to discover the magic of this spirit in a glass.
When it comes to bourbon cocktails, your mind might immediately jump to mint juleps, the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. This cocktail became popular after it was served at the Kentucky Derby for the first time.
It is made with bourbon, mint, sugar, and crushed ice. The mint is muddled in the sugar and mixed with the bourbon and ice. Everything is stirred until the glass frosts over, and then it is garnished with a sprig of mint for a refreshing and aromatic delight.
An old-fashioned is a timeless masterpiece that has been enjoyed for centuries. It was invented by a bartender in New York City in 1880, and since then, it has been loved by people worldwide.
This drink combines bourbon with sugar, bitters, and a citrus twist for a complex and sophisticated flavor profile. It is also a versatile drink that can be made with different types of bourbon, bitters, and sweetener.
One of many Negroni spin-offs, the Boulevardier is a sophisticated and bittersweet cocktail perfect for sipping slowly. A classic Boulevardier has equal parts bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth. This creates a drink with a balanced combination of bitter, boozy, and sweet.
However, there are many variations of this cocktail, so you can experiment to find your perfect balance. Some people prefer a slightly sweeter drink, while others like it drier. You can use different types of bourbon or vermouth to create different flavor profiles.
A Manhattan is the best-known and most popular whiskey cocktail. It is so popular that it is on the list of the International Bartender Association’s (IBA) official cocktails. This list identifies all the most requested cocktail recipes.
The allure of this drink lies in its perfect balance of sweet and dry, smooth and spicy from the caramelly bourbon, sweet and spicy vermouth, and bitter and herby bitters.
Simple to make and impressive to serve, a bourbon or whiskey sour is characterized by its frothy float that adds a visual flair. This cocktail mixes bourbon with lemon juice, simple syrup, and an egg white for a perfectly sweet-tart, balanced whiskey drink.
The bourbon complements the acidity of the lemon and the sweetness of simple syrup, while the egg white creates a frothy and silky texture.
Related: Differences Between Bourbon And Whiskey: A Side-by-Side Comparison
A paper plane is a more inventive riff that offers a delightful interplay of sweet, sour, bitter, and herbal notes. This modern classic combines equal parts bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice for a complex and bittersweet citrusy explosion.
The Aperol gives the cocktail a vibrant orange, while the bourbon adds depth and warmth, creating a well-rounded and balanced experience. It is typically garnished with a paper airplane folded from a citrus peel.
The Stone Fruit Sour is a vibrant and refreshing summertime cocktail that embraces seasonal flavors. This drink features bourbon as its base, perfectly complemented by the juicy sweetness of muddled stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, or apricots.
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a burst of acidity and simple syrup for a touch of sweetness perfectly rounds out the bold character of the bourbon, while an egg white (optional) creates a smooth and frothy texture for a luxurious mouthfeel.
Named after a hat-shaped Los Angeles diner, the Brown Derby is a three-ingredient cocktail that became a Hollywood classic in the 1930s. The Brown Derby combines bourbon, grapefruit juice, and honey syrup, for a citrusy and complex taste.
The simple ingredient list could fool one into thinking it is a simple-tasting cocktail, but its complex sweet-tart flavor profile produces an intricate combination that has stood the test of time.
The Rusty Bob is a lesser-known but equally delicious cousin of the classic Rusty Nail. Rusty Nail is a classic after-dinner drink made with two parts blended scotch and one part Drambuie, but if you swap out blended scotch for bourbon, you have yourself a Rusty Bob.
This cocktail is lighter, more vanilla-forward than its cousin with a sweeter, distinctively American. It requires minimal preparation, making ii ideal for casual gatherings or a quick after-dinner tipple.
The bourbon milk punch offers a unique and satisfying escape from the ordinary because, unlike its lighter and brighter citrusy counterparts, this cocktail is rich, creamy, and decadent.
This cocktail typically mixes bourbon with milk to create a velvety texture, cream, simple syrup for sweetness, and a touch of vanilla extract for depth and warmth. You can also incorporate spices like nutmeg or cinnamon for a decadent and comforting cocktail treat.
Kentucky Buck is a bourbon-based modern classic cocktail created by Erick Castro, owner of Polite Provisions in San Diego. Castro was inspired by the classic Buck formula, which includes a spirit, citrus, and ginger ale, and the lack of strawberry-bourbon drinks.
This refreshing drink features bourbon, ginger ale, lime juice, and a maraschino cherry. It has sweet strawberry notes that are balanced by the ginger ale's spicy effervescence and the lemon’s zesty citrus kick.
The horse neck is visually striking, with long, spiraled lemon peel garnish snaking around the inside of the glass, resembling a horse neck. This sophisticated cocktail involves chilled ginger ale layered with bourbon, cognac, Angostura bitters, and a lemon twist for a unique and layered flavor.
The bourbon provides a warming base, while the ginger ale adds a refreshing fizz and subtle ginger spice. Meanwhile, the Angostura bitters contribute a touch of complexity and depth.
The Black Manhattan takes the classic Manhattan down a darker and bolder path. The classic Manhattan undergoes a black transformation when the rye whiskey and sweet vermouth are swapped for bourbon and dry vermouth and includes the addition of mezcal.
This cocktail has a whole new dimension of flavor that balances the bourbon's rich notes with mezcal's smoky depth. The dark amber hue of the bourbon and mezcal blend offers a visually compelling presentation as well.
When fall rolls around, the Apple Cider Old Fashioned emerges. It is a warm and inviting cocktail that infuses the traditional bourbon base with sweet and tart apple cider, perfect for a crisp autumn evening.
This apple cider cocktail features bourbon, muddled apple cider, maple syrup, Angostura bitters, and an apple slice. The rich, oaky notes of bourbon mingle with the juicy sweetness and spice of apple cider, all balanced by the subtle bitterness of Angostura bitters.
The Sazerac is the official drink of New Orleans. This cocktail is famous amongst not just New Orleanians but the rest of the world thanks to its unique herbal aroma and balanced flavor profile.
This cocktail combines bourbon instead of Cognac, Peychaud's bitters, sugar, absinthe rinse, and a lemon twist for a complex and nuanced cocktail experience. Replacing the cognac with bourbon adds slightly sweeter notes with an oak and vanilla finish.
Introduced in the early 2000s, this cocktail spread worldwide at such a pace that it was often assumed to be a pre-Prohibition classic. Composed of bourbon, honey syrup, and fresh lemon juice, it is reminiscent of a Whiskey Sour, but you swap the honey for sugar.
This cocktail has a dynamic flavor combination. The bourbon provides a solid foundation, while the lemon juice adds a zesty tartness beautifully balanced by the honey's sweetness.
The Bourbon Bramble is a variation of the Bramble, a gin-based cocktail. This fruity and bubbly drink features bourbon, muddled blackberries, lemon juice, and simple syrup and topped with club soda.
The bourbon adds a rich, deep flavor, perfectly complementing the juicy tartness of the blackberries. A touch of simple syrup adds sweetness, while a dollop of blackberry liqueur atop creates a visually stunning layered effect.
The Mint Julep Fizz is the more playful version of the classic Mint Julep. It features bourbon, muddled mint, and simple syrup, which is shaken with ice before being strained into a chilled highball glass filled with crushed ice instead of being built in a glass.
The key element is the addition of club soda that provides a lively fizz. The result is a perfectly balanced, sweet, herbal, and refreshing cocktail ideal for sipping on a warm summer day.
Bourbon is beloved for its bold and rich flavors, with subtle hints of vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, and other baking spices.
However, in a Ginger Rabbit, these subtle flavors are amplified and take center stage thanks to the addition of black tea and star anise-infused simple syrup, fresh ginger Creme Yvette, a violet- and fruit-based liqueur.
The drink feels like a spicy-sweet iced chai, but a bit of Creme Yvette helps round off the harsher, more intense edges.
For a festive bourbon-based cocktail, a spiced cranberry cocktail is perfect. This festive cocktail perfectly captures the essence of winter with its warm, festive flavors. It balances the tart cranberries with the smooth, rich bourbon, all infused with the beautiful notes of winter spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
The beauty of this cocktail lies in its versatility. Play with different spice combinations to discover your perfect flavor profile.
