If we had to (for some strange reason) pick only one spirit to mix with, it would be bourbon whiskey. We understand that spirits like gin, vodka, white rum, and blanco tequila are more well-suited for summery cocktails. And while summer is the season in which we’re most likely to whip up a cocktail or two, we believe that bourbon is the perfect spirit for all seasons.
Do you want to drink a Gin & tonic in the middle of winter? Probably not. But sipping on an Old Fashioned on an unseasonably cool summer night, while you sit around a roaring campfire, makes for a pretty epic night.
Bourbon’s corn-based mash bill is sweet, mellow, complex, and flavorful. It never gets lost in a cocktail and is guaranteed to warm you up on a cool evening. The best part? Countless classic bourbon-based cocktails are not only flavorful but surprisingly easy to make.
The classic bourbon cocktails everyone should know how to make
All you need (besides a few simple ingredients) to start your bourbon cocktail journey is a decent bottle of bourbon. You don’t have to spend the equivalent of a car payment to get one. Countless bottles in the $30-60 range are perfectly suited for slow-sipping or mixing.
Once you find one you like (we prefer Wild Turkey 101, Elijah Craig, and Knob Creek), you can easily mix up a few classic drinks. We’re talking about the likes of the Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour, Boulevardier, Paper Plane, and more. Keep scrolling to see some of our favorite classic bourbon cocktails and even learn how to make them.
Paper Plane
Is it too soon to call a cocktail made in 2008 a classic? We don’t think so. The Paper Plane was created by Sam Ross and Sasha Petraske for Chicago’s Violet Hour. Named for the M.I.A. song “Paper Planes,” it’s a take on the classic Last Word. This exceptional cocktail is made with bourbon, Italian amaro, Aperol, and fresh lime juice. It’s boozy, tart, and extremely complex.
What you need to make the Paper Plane
1 ounce of bourbon whiskey
1 ounce of Italian amaro
1 ounce of Aperol
1 ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice
The Paper Plane recipe steps
1. Add ice to a shaker.
2. Pour bourbon, amaro, Aperol, and freshly squeezed lemon juice into the mixer.
3. Shake vigorously to combine.
4. Strain the ingredients into a chilled cocktail glass.
Old Fashioned
Good luck finding a more well-known bourbon-based cocktail than the classic Old Fashioned. Luckily, it’s as simple to make as it is popular. This beloved drink is made with muddling sugar,
What you need to make an Old Fashioned
- 1.5 ounces of bourbon whiskey
- 2-3 dashes of Angostura bitters
- 1 sugar cube
- 1-2 dashes of water
The Old Fashioned recipe steps
1. Add a sugar cube into an Old Fashioned glass.
2. Saturate the sugar cube with a few dashes of
3. Add a dash or two of water.
4. Muddle the ingredients together to combine them.
5. Add ice to the glass.
6. Pour in the bourbon whiskey.
7. Stir slowly to combine.
8. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and an orange peel.
Boulevardier
A bourbon-based riff on the Negroni, the Boulevardier was first created in the 1920s in Paris. The first reference to it was in 1927 in the French cocktail book ‘Barflies and Cocktails’. Like many cocktails, it was seemingly lost to time until the cocktail renaissance resurrected it. While the classic Negroni is a gin-based drink, the Boulevardier removes to juniper, botanical spirit in favor of sweet, mellow bourbon while still keeping the sweet vermouth and Campari.
What you need to make a Boulevardier
- 1.5 ounces of bourbon
- 1 ounce of Campari
- 1 ounce of sweet vermouth
The Boulevardier recipe steps
1. Add ice to a mixing glass.
1 1/2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 ounce honey syrup
Garnish: grapefruit twist 3. Gently stir to combine all the ingredients.
4. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or rocks glass.
5. Garnish with an orange peel.
Brown Derby
Like all cocktails, the Brown Derby has a bit of a muddled history. Many believe that its origins are sometime in the 1930s, and a bartender at the Vendôme Club in Los Angeles created it. It was named for a famous diner that was situated near the bar. A sour, tart, and sweet combination, this iconic cocktail features bourbon whiskey, honey syrup, and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.
What you need to make the Brown Derby
- 2 ounces of bourbon whiskey
- .75 ounces of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
- .5 ounces of honey syrup (or maple syrup)
The Brown Derby recipe steps
1. Add ice to a shaker.
2. Pour the bourbon whisky, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, and honey syrup (or maple syrup) into the shaker.
3. Shake vigorously to combine.
4. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
5. Garnish it with a grapefruit peel.
