Whiskey Cocktails
63 recipesWhiskey cocktails are where mixing started: the Old Fashioned is literally the original definition of a cocktail, spirit, sugar, water and bitters. This collection of 63 recipes covers bourbon, rye and Scotch drinks, from the Manhattan and the Mint Julep to the Penicillin.
Bourbon's sweetness suits the Old Fashioned and Whiskey Sour; spicier rye stands up in a Manhattan or a New York Sour; smoky Scotch drives the Penicillin and Rusty Nail. Each recipe lists measures, ABV and calories, and suggests substitutions where they work.
WhiskeyGodfatherScotch and amaretto stirred together over ice — nothing else required. Toasted almond sweetness wrapped around a smoky malt core.Easy2 ingredients
WhiskeyIrish CoffeeHot coffee and Irish whiskey sweetened with sugar, then chilled cream floated carefully over a spoon. Drink the warm coffee through the cool cream —…Medium4 ingredients
WhiskeyManhattanRye whiskey rounded with sweet red vermouth and a dash of Angostura, stirred silky and crowned with a cocktail cherry. Rich, warming and quietly…Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyMint JulepMint muddled gently with sugar and water, then bourbon stirred through cracked ice until the glass frosts over. The Derby Day ritual, best drunk…Medium4 ingredients
WhiskeyNew York SourA whiskey sour crowned with a float of dry red wine that drifts down in crimson ribbons. The wine adds tannin and drama to an already great drink.Medium7 ingredients
WhiskeyOld FashionedThe original cocktail — whiskey seasoned with a muddled sugar cube and Angostura bitters over ice, finished with orange zest and a cherry.…Medium5 ingredients
WhiskeyPaper planeEqual parts bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol and lemon shaken and served up. Sam Ross's bittersweet modern standard — folded perfectly every time.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyPenicillinBlended Scotch shaken with lemon, honey and muddled fresh ginger, then crowned with a float of smoky Islay malt. Sam Ross's modern classic — medicine…Medium5 ingredients
WhiskeyRemember the maineRye stirred with sweet vermouth and cherry brandy, strained into an absinthe-rinsed coupe. A Manhattan with a Havana war story.Medium5 ingredients
WhiskeyRusty NailScotch and honeyed Drambuie stirred over ice with a lemon twist. Sweet heather and smoke in the definitive two-ingredient whisky cocktail.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyTipperaryIrish whiskey stirred with sweet vermouth, green Chartreuse and Angostura. An herbal, contemplative classic that's a long way to drink slowly.Easy5 ingredients
WhiskeyTrinidad sourA full 45ml of Angostura bitters shaken with orgeat, lemon and a measure of rye. The famous inversion that turns a seasoning into the star.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyVieux CarreRye, cognac and sweet vermouth stirred with a bar-spoon of Benedictine and Peychaud's bitters. New Orleans' French Quarter distilled into a glass.Easy5 ingredients
WhiskeyWhiskey SourBourbon shaken with fresh lemon and sugar syrup, optionally silked out with a few drops of egg white foam. A perfectly calibrated sweet-tart standard.Medium6 ingredients
WhiskeyAffinityScotch stirred with both vermouths and orange bitters — a perfect Rob Roy by another name. Balanced, dry-sweet and quietly assured.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyAlgonquinBlended whiskey, dry vermouth and pineapple juice shaken into an unusual dry-yet-tropical classic named for the famed New York hotel. Crisp orchard…Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyAlleghenyBourbon and dry vermouth accented with blackberry brandy and lemon, finished with a twist. Dark fruit and oak in a compact, spirit-led package.Easy5 ingredients
WhiskeyApplejackJack Daniels and Midori chilled with sour mix and strained up. Green apple candy flavor from a glass with no apples in it.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyAvalancheKahlua and Crown Royal shaken with a fill of cream over ice. A smooth, snowy slide of coffee and Canadian whisky.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyBalmoralScotch stirred with both sweet and dry vermouth and a couple dashes of bitters — a perfect-style Rob Roy variation. Malty, gently smoky and smooth.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyBobby Burns CocktailScotch and sweet vermouth stirred with a touch of honeyed Benedictine — a Rob Roy with a monastic accent. Silky, malty and named for Scotland's…Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyBoston SourA whiskey sour enriched with a whole egg white, shaken to a dense foam and dressed with lemon and cherry. Plush texture over classic sweet-tart bones.Medium6 ingredients
WhiskeyBoulevardierA Negroni with rye whiskey standing in for gin, stirred silky and finished with orange zest. Bitter, warming and made for slow autumn evenings.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyBourbon SlingBourbon shaken with lemon, sugar and a splash of water, strained tall and finished with a lemon twist. An easygoing, old-time refresher.Easy5 ingredients
WhiskeyBourbon SourStraight bourbon shaken with fresh lemon and a little superfine sugar, garnished with orange and cherry. Clean, tart and built on the whiskey's own…Easy5 ingredients
WhiskeyBrandon and Will's Coke FloatVanilla ice cream in a frosted mug with two ounces of bourbon and a can of Coke poured over. The childhood float, permanently upgraded.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyBrooklynRye stirred with dry vermouth, a spoon of maraschino and bitters, garnished with a cherry. The Manhattan's drier outer-borough sibling.Easy5 ingredients
WhiskeyCalifornia LemonadeBlended whiskey shaken with lemon, lime, sugar and a whisper of grenadine, then topped with sparkling water over shaved ice. Lemonade for grown-ups.Easy6 ingredients
WhiskeyClassic Old-FashionedBitters and a sugar cube muddled in the glass, then a generous pour of bourbon over ice with orange and cherry. The unhurried, build-in-glass ritual…Medium6 ingredients
WhiskeyDamned if you doWhiskey topped with a quarter-ounce of Hot Damn cinnamon schnapps in a shot glass. Quick, warming and repeatable — as the name warns.Easy2 ingredients
WhiskeyDry Rob RoyScotch stirred with just a teaspoon and a half of dry vermouth, strained up with a lemon twist. As austere and whisky-forward as the Rob Roy gets.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyFlying ScotchmanEqual parts Scotch and sweet vermouth shaken with a touch of syrup and bitters. A softer, slightly sweeter take on the Rob Roy.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyFrisco SourBlended whiskey and honeyed Benedictine shaken with both lemon and lime juice. A citrus-double sour with an herbal, monastic undertone.Easy6 ingredients
WhiskeyH.D.Baileys and whisky in a big beer glass, filled to the top with hot coffee. An oversized Irish coffee for serious appetites.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyHaunted Graveyard Halloween CocktailBourbon shaken with maple syrup and bitters, topped with a splash of soda in a crushed-Oreo-rimmed glass. An old fashioned dressed for Halloween.Medium6 ingredients
WhiskeyHighland Fling CocktailScotch stirred with sweet vermouth and orange bitters, garnished with an olive. A savory-edged Rob Roy variation with Highland swagger.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyHot Creamy BushHot coffee with a shot of Irish whiskey and a generous pour of Baileys. An Irish coffee that skips the fuss and keeps the warmth.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyHot ToddyWhisky whisked with honey, split into glasses with cinnamon and clove-studded lemon, then topped with boiling water. The classic cold-weather…Easy5 ingredients
WhiskeyIrish CreamScotch blended with condensed milk, half-and-half and hints of chocolate and coconut. A quick homemade take on the beloved cream liqueur.Easy5 ingredients
WhiskeyIrish SpringIrish whiskey and peach brandy built tall with orange juice and sweet-and-sour over ice. Fruity, cheerful and very easy company.Easy6 ingredients
WhiskeyJack's Vanilla CokeTennessee whiskey and cola with a teaspoon of real vanilla stirred up from the bottom. A homemade vanilla coke with a whiskey drawl.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyJackhammerJack Daniels and amaretto in equal measure over ice. Sweet almond rounding off Tennessee whiskey — simple and forceful.Easy2 ingredients
WhiskeyJapanese FizzBlended whiskey shaken with port, lemon, sugar and egg white, finished with soda. A frothy antique fizz with a wine-dark undertone.Medium6 ingredients
WhiskeyKentucky B And BBourbon and Benedictine poured neat into a snifter — the Kentucky answer to brandy and Benedictine. Honeyed herbs over charred oak, undiluted.Easy2 ingredients
WhiskeyKentucky ColonelA generous three ounces of bourbon shaken with a touch of Benedictine and finished with lemon peel. Big, honeyed and unmistakably Southern.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyLoch LomondScotch stirred with Drambuie and dry vermouth, strained up with a lemon twist. Heather honey and malt in a firm, elegant frame.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyOld PalRye stirred with Campari and dry vermouth — the Boulevardier's leaner, drier sibling — finished with a lemon twist. Bitter, brisk and dependable.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyOwen's Grandmother's RevengeA full twelve ounces each of whiskey, beer and frozen lemonade buzzed with crushed ice in a blender. A rowdy pitcher drink that hides its strength…Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyRaspberry JulepMint and raspberry syrup muddled softly, then bourbon stirred through crushed ice. The julep with a berry-red streak.Medium3 ingredients
WhiskeyRed SnapperCrown Royal and amaretto shaken with cranberry juice and shot back. Smooth Canadian whisky wrapped in almond and berry.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyRoyal BitchCrown Royal layered over Frangelico in a shot glass. Hazelnut smoothing the whisky's crown — regal and blunt at once.Medium2 ingredients
WhiskeyRoyal FlushCrown Royal shaken with peach schnapps, Chambord and cranberry, strained into a shot or rocks glass. A winning hand of whisky and fruit.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyScotch CobblerScotch on the rocks seasoned with dashes of brandy and curacao, finished with orange and mint. A whisky drink wearing only the lightest of…Easy5 ingredients
WhiskeyScotch SourScotch shaken with lime juice and powdered sugar, dressed with lemon and cherry. Malt and smoke give this sour its distinctive backbone.Easy5 ingredients
WhiskeyScottish Highland LiqueurScotch whisky infused with honey, lemon zest, fennel and angelica root over two patient weeks. A homemade Drambuie-style cordial with Highland…Medium5 ingredients
WhiskeyShot-gunJack Daniels and Jim Beam sharing a shot glass under a float of Wild Turkey. Three American whiskeys, zero apologies.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyTennesee MudCoffee fortified with equal big pours of Jack Daniels and amaretto, capped with whipped cream. A dessert coffee that means business.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyTexas RattlesnakeYukon Jack and Southern Comfort shaken with cherry brandy and a splash of sweet-and-sour. Honeyed and fruity at first — then the bite.Easy4 ingredients
WhiskeyThe Jimmy ConwayIrish whiskey and Disaronno over ice, filled with cranberry and finished with lemon. Smooth, fruity and named for a wiseguy.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyThrillerScotch shaken with green ginger wine and orange juice. Warming ginger spice wrapped around smoky malt.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyTurkeyballWild Turkey and amaretto shaken with a splash of pineapple, strained into a shot glass. Bourbon heat wrapped in almond sweetness.Easy3 ingredients
WhiskeyWhiskey on the RocksTwo ounces of whiskey over ice — ideally a single large sphere that chills without drowning it. The purest way to take your pour, slightly softened.Easy2 ingredients
WhiskeyWhisky MacScotch and green ginger wine poured together without ice — a British club-room cure for cold weather. Warming ginger spice over sturdy malt.Easy2 ingredients