Good bourbon deserves more than a splash of cola. Most of these are three or four ingredients and five minutes, and every one of them makes a $30 bottle taste like a night out. Here are fifteen worth learning, from the untouchable classics to a couple of showpieces.
1. Old Fashioned
The one to master first: bourbon, a sugar cube, two dashes of bitters, and an expressed orange peel over a big cube. Simple, forgiving, and perfect. A set of rocks glasses helps.
2. Whiskey Sour
Bourbon, fresh lemon, and simple syrup, shaken hard, with an egg white for that silky foam. Bright, balanced, and the gateway drink for skeptics.
3. Manhattan
Two parts bourbon or rye, one part sweet vermouth, two dashes of bitters, stirred and up with a cherry. The elegant after-dinner classic.
4. Bourbon Smash
Muddled lemon and mint, bourbon, a little syrup, over crushed ice. The most refreshing way to drink bourbon in the summer.
5. Boulevardier
A Negroni's whiskey cousin: equal parts bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth. Bitter, rich, and criminally easy to make.
6. Mint Julep
Bourbon, mint, sugar, and a mountain of crushed ice in a frosted julep cup. Derby Day in a glass.
7. Gold Rush
A modern classic: bourbon, honey syrup, and fresh lemon. Basically a whiskey sour that traded sugar for honey, and it's better for it.
8. Kentucky Mule
Bourbon, ginger beer, and lime in a copper mug. The Moscow Mule with a Kentucky accent, and the easiest crowd-pleaser here.
9. Paper Plane
Equal parts bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon. A little more advanced, and worth every extra bottle it asks for.
10. Smoked Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned with a show: trap wood smoke under a cloche before you pour. A smoker kit makes it a party trick you'll repeat.
11. Hot Toddy
Bourbon, honey, lemon, and hot water with a cinnamon stick. The cold-weather cure that doubles as dessert.
12. Bourbon Highball
Bourbon, soda, clear ice, a lemon twist. The most underrated way to make a good bottle last a whole evening.
13. New York Sour
A whiskey sour with a float of dry red wine down the back of a spoon. Same easy build, twice the drama.
14. Maple Bourbon
Swap the sugar in an Old Fashioned for real maple syrup and add a little baking spice. Autumn in a rocks glass.
15. Cherry Bourbon
Bourbon, a spoon of brandied cherry syrup, bitters, and a couple of real cherries. Rich, a little sweet, and dangerously drinkable.
What's the Best Bourbon for Cocktails?
Something 90–100 proof with real backbone, so it stands up to ice and mixers instead of vanishing; you don't need to mix your best bottle. A solid, spicy everyday bourbon makes better cocktails than a delicate premium one. See our picks in the BoozeMakers 100 and the full bourbon selection.