These eight easy bourbon cocktails and mixed drinks cover stirred, shaken and built serves β from an Old Fashioned and Whiskey Sour to a Mint Julep and Paper Plane. Every recipe uses millilitres and includes a full home-bar method.
Under the US standard of identity, bourbon is whiskey produced in the United States from a fermented mash containing at least 51% corn, distilled at no more than 160 proof and stored at no more than 125 proof in charred new oak barrels. The rule does not require Kentucky production or American oak.
Start with the quick picker below if you are deciding what to make. You can also jump straight to the bottle guide or bar tools; one versatile bourbon is enough for every recipe on this page.
Glass: Rocks glass
Ingredients
- 45ml bourbon
- 1 sugar cube (or 5ml simple syrup)
- 2β3 dashes Angostura bitters
- a few dashes of water
- ice
- orange peel and cocktail cherry to garnish
Method
- 1.Place the sugar cube in a rocks glass.
- 2.Add bitters and a small splash of water.
- 3.Muddle until the sugar dissolves.
- 4.Add the bourbon.
- 5.Fill the glass with ice and stir gently until chilled.
- 6.Express an orange peel over the glass and use as garnish.
- 7.Add a maraschino cherry if desired.
Tip: This spirit, sugar, bitters and water template keeps the bourbon central. Simple syrup is the easiest home-bar option; if you use a sugar cube, dissolve it fully before adding the whiskey and ice.
Glass: Coupe or Martini glass
Ingredients
- 50ml bourbon (or rye whiskey)
- 20ml sweet red vermouth
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- ice
- cocktail cherry to garnish
Method
- 1.Add bourbon, sweet vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass.
- 2.Fill with ice and stir until well chilled.
- 3.Strain into a chilled coupe or Martini glass.
- 4.Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
Tip: The IBA reference recipe uses rye whiskey; bourbon makes a valid, usually rounder-tasting variation. Keep opened vermouth refrigerated and taste it before mixing if the bottle has been open for a while.
Glass: Rocks glass or coupe
Ingredients
- 45ml bourbon
- 25ml fresh lemon juice
- 20ml sugar syrup
- 15ml pasteurised egg white or aquafaba (optional)
- ice
- orange slice or zest and cocktail cherry to garnish
Method
- 1.If using egg white or aquafaba, add it with the bourbon, lemon juice and syrup, then shake without ice first.
- 2.Add ice and shake hard until chilled. If omitting the foamer, shake all three liquid ingredients with ice once.
- 3.Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice or a chilled coupe.
- 4.Garnish with an orange slice or zest and a cocktail cherry.
Tip: Egg white is optional in the IBA standard. Pasteurised egg white or aquafaba can add foam, but the drink still works without either; use the linked no-egg guide if you want the simplest version.
Glass: Silver julep cup or highball
Ingredients
- 60ml bourbon
- 4 fresh mint sprigs
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp water
- crushed or cracked ice
Method
- 1.Reserve one mint sprig for the garnish, then add the remaining mint, sugar and water to the cup.
- 2.Gently press the mint to release its aroma without shredding the leaves.
- 3.Add the bourbon.
- 4.Fill the cup with crushed ice and stir vigorously.
- 5.Add more crushed ice to form a dome above the rim.
- 6.Garnish with a large mint sprig, tapping it gently to release its aroma.
Tip: Stir until the outside of a metal cup becomes frosty. A highball also works; the large mint garnish should sit close enough to smell as you drink.
Glass: Rocks glass or coupe
Ingredients
- 45ml bourbon
- 30ml Campari
- 30ml sweet vermouth
- large ice cube
- orange peel to garnish
Method
- 1.Combine bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass.
- 2.Fill with ice and stir for 30 seconds.
- 3.Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube, or into a chilled coupe.
- 4.Express an orange peel over the glass and use as garnish.
Tip: The IBA ratio is 45ml whiskey to 30ml each of Campari and sweet vermouth. Serve it up in a chilled cocktail glass or over one large cube; the recipe does not need a shaker.
Glass: Coupe
Ingredients
- 45ml bourbon
- 30ml fresh grapefruit juice
- 15ml honey syrup (1:1)
- ice
- grapefruit twist to garnish
Method
- 1.Make honey syrup by mixing equal parts honey and warm water; cool before using.
- 2.Add bourbon, grapefruit juice and honey syrup to a shaker.
- 3.Fill with ice and shake for 12 seconds.
- 4.Double strain into a chilled coupe.
- 5.Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Tip: Fresh grapefruit and honey make this a useful alternative to a lemon-based sour. Taste before straining and add a little more honey syrup only if your grapefruit is particularly tart.
Glass: Rocks glass
Ingredients
- 50ml bourbon
- 25ml fresh lemon juice
- 20ml honey syrup (1:1)
- ice
- lemon peel to garnish
Method
- 1.Make honey syrup by stirring equal parts honey and warm water, then let it cool.
- 2.Add the bourbon, lemon juice and honey syrup to a shaker with ice.
- 3.Shake hard until chilled.
- 4.Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
- 5.Express a lemon peel over the drink and use it as the garnish.
Tip: This three-ingredient bourbon sour needs no egg white and no specialist liqueur. Honey syrup blends into a cold drink more evenly than spooning in neat honey.
Glass: Coupe
Ingredients
- 30ml bourbon
- 30ml Aperol
- 30ml Amaro Nonino
- 30ml fresh lemon juice
- ice
Method
- 1.Measure all four ingredients in equal parts into a shaker.
- 2.Add ice and shake hard for 10β12 seconds.
- 3.Double strain into a chilled coupe.
- 4.No garnish needed.
Tip: The IBA recipe uses four equal 30ml measures, so it is easy to scale down equally if your coupe is small. Amaro Nonino is part of the defined recipe rather than a generic dark amaro.
What are easy bourbon cocktails to make at home?
Start with an Old Fashioned if you do not own a shaker: add bourbon, sugar, bitters and water to a glass, then stir with ice. If you have a shaker, a Whiskey Sour or three-ingredient Gold Rush is equally approachable. A Manhattan and Boulevardier are stirred and need a strainer if you serve them without ice.
What is the difference between bourbon and rye whiskey?
Under US standards, bourbon uses a fermented mash containing at least 51% corn, while rye whiskey uses at least 51% rye. Both are distilled to no more than 160 proof and stored at no more than 125 proof in charred new oak barrels. Recipes often describe bourbon as rounder and rye as spicier, but the flavour of an individual bottle also depends on its full mash bill, proof and maturation.
Does bourbon have to be made in Kentucky?
No. US regulations require whiskey described as bourbon to be distilled and aged in the United States, but they do not restrict it to Kentucky. A state or regional name on the label means the required distillation and ageing occurred in that place. "Straight bourbon" is a separate production designation that includes at least two years in charred new oak barrels.
What does "small batch" or "single barrel" mean on bourbon labels?
Treat "small batch" as producer language rather than a standard measure of batch size. "Single barrel" identifies whiskey drawn from one barrel instead of a blend of multiple barrels, so different barrel releases can vary. Neither phrase by itself tells you whether a bottle will work better in a cocktail; proof, price and the drink you plan to make are more useful buying checks.
What can you mix with bourbon for a simple drink?
For a two-ingredient serve, pour 50ml bourbon over ice and add 100β150ml ginger ale, soda water or cola to taste. Add lemon to ginger ale or soda, or orange to cola. If you want a measured cocktail instead, use the Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour or Gold Rush recipe above.
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