21 Bourbon Cocktails You Can Make Tonight
Try your hand at a Paper Plane or a Boulevardier.
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Liberty Fennell
If you ask us, no home bar is complete without a bottle of bourbon. "Both Scotch and bourbon are whisk(e)y, meaning they’re wood-aged spirits that have been distilled from a fermented mash of grains," writes Food & Wine contributor Brian Freedman. "Bourbon is based on corn, not barley. According to regulations, it must be composed of a mash bill (basically the list of grains that have been used) consisting of at least 51% corn."
We're amazed by bourbon's versatility when it comes to making sweet, tart, and warming cocktails. For something unexpectedly tangy, try your hand at a Tamarind Whiskey Sour. Entertaining a crowd? We'd recommend whipping up a batch of Whiskey Chai. It's also worth getting comfortable with classic bourbon cocktails, like the Mint Julep, New York Sour, and Paper Plane. Read on for our favorite bourbon cocktails to make anytime.
Winter Berries Cocktail
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Liberty Fennell
Fruity, rich, and mildly sweet dark-berry liqueur plays well with effervescent sparkling wine in this Winter Berries cocktail, while grain-forward bourbon adds a touch of heat. Garnish this bubbly sipper with a thin half-moon slice of lemon.
Maple-Bourbon Smash
Julia Hartbeck
Richly flavored dark amber maple syrup combines with citrus juices and seltzer to make this lightened riff on an Old-Fashioned cocktail.
Boulevardier
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter
The Boulevardier is the whiskey lover's Negroni. Made with three simple ingredients — bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth — this straightforward cocktail comes together in seconds with staples you likely always keep in your home bar.
Alpine Brew
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Merlyn Miller
This delicious, highly caffeinated cocktail combines bourbon, coffee liqueur, cold brew, maple syrup, and walnut bitters.
Tamarind Whiskey Sour
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Liberty Fennell
Tamarind imbues any dish with a telltale sharp, sweet, yet tart kick. It adds just the right amount of excitement to surprise even the most dedicated drinker of this classic cocktail.
Paper Plane
Though the Paper Plane is easy to put together and it's plenty easy-drinking, it offers a complex flavor profile: still bright and fresh but with enough heft to make it autumn-appropriate.
Bourbon-Tea Julep
Tannins from black tea add a beautiful hint of bitterness to this variation on a classic Mint Julep. The citrus oil, oleo saccharum, is made by steeping lemon peels in sugar. Its bright flavor is the perfect lift to finish each sip.
Shadow Woman
This Old-Fashioned–style cocktail gets a fruity kick from pear brandy and gentle sweetness from honey; the bourbon adds a bite without overpowering the drink. Pear brandy is a highly aromatic and unsweetened liquor made from fermented pears.
Banana-Rum Old-Fashioned
A bold, strong cocktail with both high-proof bourbon and light rum gets a hint of floral sweetness from mellow crème de banane.
Withering Sunrise
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon
Bourbon and puréed mango are a match made in heaven.
New York Sour
The perfect balance of fruity red wine and smoky-sweet bourbon, the New York Sour cocktail is a classic for a reason. Shaking with large ice cubes chills the cocktail without diluting it — and those large cubes made with ice sphere molds look great in a rocks glass, too. If you're feeling adventurous, add an egg white to the shaker for a thicker viscosity.
Mint Julep
The Mint Julep has been the iconic drink of the Kentucky Derby since 1939, but references to the cocktail go as far back as the year 900, when it was sipped for medicinal purposes. When New Orleans bartender Chris McMillian was at Bar UnCommon, he recited an ode while mixing Mint Juleps, written in the 1890s by a Kentucky newspaperman, that calls the bourbon and mint cocktail "the very dream of drinks."
Dog Days of Summer Ale
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon
Cherry heering gives this beer-bourbon cocktail its striking red hue.
Milk Punch
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter
This classic, creamy milk punch will warm you up on the coldest winter evenings.
Whiskey Samash
Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This Hanukkah cocktail uses fig syrup to create a playful take on a whiskey smash cocktail.
Hot Toddy
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon
Is it really wintertime without a good hot toddy? We think not.
Ginger and Bourbon
This simple, soothing wintertime cocktail is a favorite for good reason.
Whiskey Chai
Think of this comforting whiskey chai as a nightcap meant to satiate a crowd after a big night out. We're especially fond of the Zanzibar peppercorns from Burlap and Barrel, which add a bright, almost fruity touch to this sweet sipper.
Apricot Nectarine Julep
A puree of roasted apricots and nectarines brings out bourbon's notes of vanilla and nutmeg, making for the ultimate late-summer cocktail. Pour some of the reserved puree on top of the crushed ice for a cocktail that almost resembles a Hawaiian shave ice. The same roast-and-puree technique can be used for more stone fruits, such as plums and sour cherries.
Homemade Eggnog
To make rich, creamy homemade eggnog, you'll need a double boiler and a whisk. In just two steps, you'll have a festive drink made ahead. Be sure to chill it thoroughly before serving, and give it a final whisk, too, to make sure everything is blended.
In Cold Blood
Andrew Volk says this is currently the most popular order at Portland Hunt & Alpine Club in Maine. The drink, according to Volk, is "approachable but geeky with the salt," which he adds to balance the bitterness of the artichoke-flavored aperitif Cynar.
Related: The 27 Best Gifts for Bourbon Lovers, According to Whiskey Experts
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