Most popular American whiskey cocktails

There are tons of cocktail recipes that use American whiskey on the internet, we've done the hard work of scouring through all of them and narrowing down the top 10 recipes you HAVE to try!

This list is not in order of deliciousness, try them all!

Bourbon sour

This is a cocktail that is based off the classic whiskey sour, using bourbon as a base! A standard and delicious cocktail that can't go wrong.

Get some high quality Bourbon whiskey (2 ounces), fresh lemon juice (1 ounce), pure maple syrup (3/4 ounce) and some ice. Mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker until cold, strain the drink into a glass and serve with ice, an orange peel and cocktail cherry for garnish!

We recommend using a high quality whisky like the Woodford Reserve Master Collection Select American Oak for this! The star of the show is the whiskey in this cocktail, using one that is delicious on its own really makes the cocktail shine!

Paper Plane

This is a much more modern cocktail than many others on the list. It's bitter, sweet and tangy all at once, synergizing all the flavors into one remarkable cocktail featuring bourbon, Aperol and amaro.

Simply mix the bourbon whiskey (1 ounce), Aperol (1 ounce), an Italian amaro (1 ounce) and fresh lemon juice (1 ounce) into a cocktail shaker, fill it with ice and shake until cold! Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon peel before serving.

 We recommend using either a Jim Beam or Maker's Mark for this cocktail (more wallet friendly options!) as this isn't a cocktail that you need a premium bourbon to stand out, since the strength of the drink lays in its balanced flavors.

New York Sour

This is a cocktail that originated in the late 1800s, also known as the Continental Sour and the Southern Whiskey Sour. Playing with the density of the ingredients creates a vibrant and strikingly beautiful cocktail that is almost too pretty to drink.

Mix bourbon (2 ounces), fresh lemon juice (1 ounce) and simple syrup (1/2 ounce) into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled before straining to a glass. Gently pour the wine over the back of a spoon just above the cocktail's surface and watch the wine float! Garnish with a lemon peel and serve!

We recommend using a classic Maker's Mark for the bourbon and a Zinfandel for the wine!

Boulevardier

The Boulevardier is a variation of the classic Negroni, only this panders to whisky lovers! An incredibly simple and straightforward cocktail to make that takes seconds to come together. This cocktail dates back to the late 1920s when the publisher of a magazine called Boulevardier, Erskine Gwynne crafted this drink!

Simply mix a bourbon (1 ounce), sweet vermouth (1 ounce) and Campari (1 ounce) in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir until chilled. Strain the cocktail into a coupe glass, garnish with a lemon twist and serve!

We love using a sweeter whiskey like the Jack Daniel's Gentleman Jack, it could also work with a honeyed one like the Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey! Let us know if you've tried the using a honeyed whiskey for this cocktail!

Bourbon Sidecar

Another bourbon variation of a classic cocktail which is the Sidecar, swapping the brandy in a classic Sidecar with bourbon. An overall citrus forward cocktail with a spicy whiskey finish. Said to be more refreshing than the classic Sidecar, try it yourself and let us know!

Add bourbon whiskey (2 ounces), Cointreau (1 ounce), fresh lemon juice (1/2 ounce) and a little simple syrup (1/4 ounce) into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until cold. Strain the cocktail into a margarita glass and garnish with a lemon peel before serving.

We find the classic Jack Daniel's profile best for this cocktail with the whiskey blending in perfectly with the rest of the ingredients and balancing out the flavors.

Manhattan

One of the most famous cocktail in the world, invented right in New York City's Manhattan Club. A mix of American whiskey and Italian vermouth, enlivened with a few dashes of aromatic bitters create a timeless and ever-delectable cocktail.

Add the rye whiskey (2 ounces), sweet vermouth (1 ounce) and Angostura bitters (2 dashes) into a mixing glass with ice and stir till well-chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a cocktail cherry.

Rye whiskey is used due to its spicier, edgier profile; we'd recommend something like the Woodford Reserve Rye American Whiskey for this cocktail with its well balanced spice and fruitiness.

Kentucky Buck

This is a strawberry-bourbon cocktail created by San Diego bartender Erick Castro. Very refreshing, perfect for hot days!

Muddle 2 hulled strawberries with simple syrup (1/2 ounce) in a cocktail shaker. Add bourbon (2 ounces), fresh lemon juice (3/4 ounces) and Angostura bitters (2 dashes) into the shaker and fill with ice then shake for 15 seconds. Strain the mix into a highball glass filled with fresh ice and top off with ginger beer. Garnish the cocktail with a fresh strawberry and serve!

Using the Jack Daniel's Gentleman Jack gave us excellent results, its light and sweet flavors complements well with the overall direction of this cocktail!

The Revolver

A cocktail that is similar to a Manhattan or Whiskey Old Fashioned, with an added 'oopmh' from the use of coffee liqueur.

Add bourbon (2 ounces), coffee liqueur (1/2 ounce) and orange bitters (2 dashes) in a mixing glass with ice cubes and stir until chilled. Strain the cocktail into a chilled glass and rub the rim of the glass with an orange peel before dropping it into the drink and serve!

It's recommended to use a dry, spicy bourbon like one that's heavy on the rye. Something like Bulleit or the Woodford Reserve Rye American Whiskey is perfect with the dry and spicy notes shining, with coffee and orange flavors complementing and contributing to the depth of the cocktail.

Whiskey Smash

A minty variation of the traditional Whiskey Sour adapted from a recipe created between 1998-1999 by Dale DeGroff at The Rainbow Room in New York City.

Muddle mint leaves (8 fresh ones) in a cocktail shaker before adding bourbon (3 ounces), lemon juice (1 ounce) and sugar syrup (quarter ounce), filled with ice and shake till cold. Then fine strain the mix into a glass and serve with extra mint leaves for garnish!

We'd recommend a robust bourbon like the Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey for this cocktail!

Sazerac

This version of the Sazerac is a cocktail invented in New Orleans in the mid-1800s. Sazerac is commonly made with either Cognac or rye whiskey, with its name coming from the type of Cognac it was originally made with, the Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils. Rye whiskey was later used in place of the Cognac and cocktail recipes today use either (or both, if you want) as the base!

Place a sugar cube into a mixing glass and coat it with Peychaud's bitters (3-4 dashes) then muddle the sugar cube till mostly dissolved, add Cognac (1 ounce), and rye whiskey (1.5 ounce) and some absinthe (0.2 ounce, or a teaspoon) then fill the mixing glass with ice and stir until cold. Then strain the drink into a low ball glass, take a lemon peel and run it around the edge of the glass before placing it into the glass as garnish and serve.

We'd recommend using once again, the Woodford Reserve Rye American Whiskey with its strong rye whiskey characteristics, and a Hennessy VSOP for the cognac! An absinthe like the Pernod Absinthe works best, with flavors that are most reminiscent of the absinthe in the past.

Conclusion

Whiskey tends to work extremely well in cocktails and are well loved internationally! Do try some of the cocktails we recommended in this list and let us know how it went!

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