From smooth, sophisticated sips to spirited, crowd-pleasing mixes, these easy, classic, and craft whiskey cocktail recipes will elevate your home bartending game with ease. We’ve selected 11 of our best whiskey cocktail recipes that celebrate both its classic history and its versatility. Whether in a smash, a sour, or an Old Fashioned, whiskey is one of the best types of liquor to experiment with in home cocktail making.
Tasting Notes to Look for in Whiskey
Just like wine, whiskey has its own tasting notes and flavor profiles. Since whiskey is often aged in barrels, many whiskeys have an oak taste to them. That oak then evolves on the palate to vanilla, caramel, or spice, depending on the whiskey and the type of barrel it was aged in. In Scotch whiskeys, smoke and peat are some of the strongest notes to look for. If you like smokiness, Scotch is the way to go, but bourbon and rye bring a fuller bodied grain flavor. There’s something for everyone in the different types of whiskey out there.
Easy, Classic, and Craft Whiskey Cocktail Recipes
Craft Bourbon Smash with Peach and Blackberry
Fresh fruit and tangy flavor take center stage in this delicious craft bourbon smash recipe. The bourbon smash is a perfect cocktail for the changing seasons, refreshing and delicious but classy and high quality, too.
Easy Bourbon Slush
For a dessert cocktail, the bourbon slush can’t be beat among whiskey recipes. A little bit of well-steeped black tea and frozen lemon concentrate make this one of the most refreshing bourbon drinks out there.
Classic Whiskey Sour
It’s a classic for a reason. The sour goes back as far as the nineteenth century and is now enjoyed at bars around the world. The cherry adds a fruity tang to whiskey’s smokiness, while the frothy egg white sweetens the whole mixture.
Blueberry Whiskey Sour
What does blue taste like? Calming, but confident, able to whisk you away to a blue sea. To savor a bit of blue’s wonderful qualities, try The Taste Curators‘ Blueberry Whiskey Sour recipe. Perhaps you’ll enjoy a bit of synesthesia!
Smoked Bourbon Old Fashioned
Warm and complex on the palate, this Smoked Bourbon Old Fashioned whiskey recipe offers an undeniably delicious and robust flavor. An old fashioned can become new every time with the complexity of its flavors!
The Bene Gesserit, a Dune: Prophecy Cocktail
This cocktail inspired by the strong, mysterious witches who headline the Dune prequel makes a bold, boozy choice in combining red absinthe with bourbon. Maybe don’t make this before driving. But it’s delicious!
Sunny Days Ahead, a Whiskey and Amaretto Cocktail
This easy amaretto cocktail by Team Nemacolin at our inaugural cocktail shake-off embodies the perfect blend of tradition and innovation. The balanced flavorful classic won over the crowd.
Espresso Whiskey Martini
You’ve heard of the Espresso Martini but what happens when you substitute the vodka for whiskey instead? The decadence of this dessert cocktail gets taken to a new level with the notes of ingredients like caramel, vanilla, and oak in the whiskey of your choice. Plus, we use Frangelico for new hints of nuttiness.
Low Calorie Honey Whiskey Cocktail
Low calorie cocktails are a way for all to enjoy the relaxation of a cocktail without the guilt after. Simply take a can of Green Bee Ginger Buzz Honey Soda and add it to a combination of whiskey and lime juice. It’s subtly sweet with a slight bite from the ginger in the soda.
19th Century Cocktail
The 19th century saw the rise of bourbon as it became associated with a style of whiskey. In honor of this period, our 19th Century Cocktail uses Marie Brizard white crème de cacao, Woodford Reserve bourbon, lillet rouge, and lemon juice. The result is ruby-toned brillance.
Cherry Bomb (Low Calorie Whiskey Cocktail)
If you just can’t stay away from Diet Coke then we have some good news, it’s the center of this cocktail recipe. This low calorie cocktail features tart maraschino cherry juice, whiskey, and orange bitters to offset the sweet soda.
Story by Emma Riva
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