Words by Aidy Smith
We love bourbon on its own, but this American spirit can also be a really interesting base spirit for a ton of exciting cocktails! The notes of vanilla and oak are great to mess around with and see what works with what. You can go sour, sweet, bitter - whatever takes your fancy!
If a bourbon cocktail sounds tasty but you’re not quite sure where to start, how about starting with one of our four favourites below!
Classic Old Fashioned
This list would not be complete without including the Old Fashioned, and for that reason we’ve put it slap bang at the top! We’re not sure if it’s magic or just good mixology, but there’s something about the simple mix of bourbon, sugar and Angostura bitters that gets our taste buds raring to go! Make one today with this simple recipe!
Ingredients
50ml bourbon
pinch of brown sugar
splash of water
2 drops of Angostura bitters
twist of orange to garnish
Method
Place the sugar, orange peel, water and bitters in a tumbler and muddle (crush gently with the back of a spoon). Fill the glass with ice and add a little whiskey bit by bit while stirring. Garnish with a twist of orange.
Boulevardier
Do you like Negronis? We certainly do! If you are a Negroni fan, why not mix it up for a change and make a Boulevardier! It’s essentially a Negroni with the gin swapped out for bourbon so it’s super simple and still boasts that tasty, boozy bitterness...
Psst, if you really want to up your Negroni game - check out our article on the best Negroni recipes!
Ingredients
45ml of bourbon
25ml sweet vermouth
25ml of Campari
twist of orange to garnish
Method
Chill a cocktail glass by placing it in the freezer. Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass and fill two thirds of the way with ice. Stir for around 30 seconds to chill and strain into the cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of orange.
Manhattan
For the majority of us, living in Manhattan (or at least the glamorous part of Manhattan) isn’t very realistic. New York City actually has the highest living cost of any city in the United States! However, what we can do is mix up a Manhattan - wherever we are in the world…
The Manhattan is normally made with rye whiskey, so try to find a bourbon with a high rye count in it to truly get an authentic Manhattan. Here’s our favourite recipe:
Ingredients
50ml bourbon
25ml sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash oranges bitters
brandied cherry for garnish
Method
Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a brandied cherry.
Bourbon Sidecar
The Sidecar is a cocktail that often hides away on cocktail menus, sometimes not even being featured at all, the poor thing! We shan’t pity it too much however, as the Sidecar still packs quite a bit of a punch… It’s citrusy and boozy with a nice bit of sweetness coming from the sugared rim. Though normally made with cognac, today we’re swapping the cognac out for bourbon. The bourbon gives a really interesting vanilla element to this cocktail that deepens it delightfully!
Ingredients
50ml bourbon
25ml Cointreau
12.5ml fresh lemon juice
1tsp simple syrup
caster sugar
orange twist for garnish
Method
Using a small amount of lemon juice and caster sugar, sugar the rim of the glass. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake with ice until ice cold. Strain into a glass and garnish with the orange twist - delicious!
Looking for more great cocktail ideas? How about checking out these great Old Fashioned Variations? Or, if a Martini is more up your street then we’ve got some great recipes to check out here too!