10 Bourbon Cocktails to Mix at Home

Bourbon’s home is Kentucky, of course, but good bourbon isn’t limited to its state of origin. The rules for bourbon production are straightforward, the important ones being that the mash bill – the grain mixture used for fermentation – must be 51-percent corn; the product must be aged in new, charred, oak barrels; the whiskey must be bottled at a minimum of 80 proof, and no additives are allowed except water. A distiller following these rules is making bourbon, and so America’s best-selling bourbon is Tennessee icon Jack Daniel’s.

Bourbon’s history as the U.S.’s native spirit is well documented, and part of the lore and lure of bourbon is its flexibility and aptness as a stellar base for some of the world’s best cocktails, including the Old Fashioned, which regularly ranks as one of the top five cocktails in the U.S., per Nielsen. Many bourbon-based cocktails are simple to make at home, but some challenge even great bartenders.

Below we’ve assembled a spectrum of bourbon cocktail recipes for home bartenders from beginners to adventurous experimenters, beginning with the Old Fashioned, the popularity of which is surely based on its appropriateness as a showcase for the bourbon itself.

Nothing is more classic for bourbon than the Old Fashioned.

1. 2 oz. Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon

2. 2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

3. ¼ oz. simple syrup (½ if you prefer sweeter)

4. 1 Luxardo cherry

5. Orange peel

Add bourbon, bitters, and syrup to a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Strain over a large cube or sphere in a rocks glass. Express the orange peel, and skewer the peel with the cherry for garnish.

A super easy recipe for a whiskey-forward, refreshing cocktail. We’re adding a kick to this one by upping the proof, but you can always tone it right back down with a different selection.

1. 2 oz. Wild Turkey 101

2. ½ oz. Fresh lemon juice

3. ½ oz. Simple syrup

4. 4-6 Mint leaves

Muddle the mint and simple syrup in a mixing tin. Add ice, bourbon, and lemon juice. Shake until well chilled. Strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Mostly associated with the Kentucky Derby, this summer sipper is actually great year round, and while the pebble ice makes sense in certain settings, it’s perfectly acceptable to use small cubes.

1. 2 oz. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon

2. ½ oz. Simple syrup

3. 4-6 Fresh mint leaves

Combine bourbon, simple syrup and mint in a mixing glass. Muddle the mint with a bar spoon or muddler. Strain over pebble ice in a Julep cup or rocks glass filled with pebble ice. Garnish with a mint sprig.

This is a variation on the Irish Buck, a traditional cocktail made with Irish whiskey. For experience bartenders, ginger simple syrup is a richer, more flavorful option to the ginger ale.

1. 2 oz. Bulleit Bourbon

2. 2 oz. Ginger ale or ginger beer

3. ¾ oz. Fresh lime juice (or lemon juice per your preference)

Combine bourbon and simple syrup in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well mixed. Strain over rocks in a Collins glass and top with ginger ale. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Fans of this classic cocktail insist that the amount of bitters and bourbon is the key to balancing it for the drinker’s taste, but the basic recipe looks like this.

1. 2 oz. Russell’s Reserve

2. 1 oz. Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth

3. 2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice, and stir until well chilled. Strain into a coupe glass, garnish with a Luxardo cherry, and serve up.

A newcomer to the cocktail scene, this one was invented in 2018 for the Kentucky Derby, and Woodford Reserve’s master distiller Chris Morris gets the credit.

1. 2 oz. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon

2. 2 oz. Lemonade (sweetened to taste)

3. 1 oz. Cranberry juice

Combine ingredients in a Collins glass with ice and stir until well mixed. Garnish with a lemon peel.

As is obvious from the name, this one is a variation on the popular Moscow Mule, and the bourbon gives the drink a rounder, richer profile.

1. 2 oz. Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon

2. ½ oz. Fresh lime juice

3. 1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters

4. 4 Pieces of fresh fruit per your preference

5. Ginger beer to top

Muddle fruit in a shaker, and then add ice, bourbon, lime juice, and bitters. Shake until well chilled and strain into a Mule mug or rocks glass over ice. Top with ginger beer.

One of the great Prohibition cocktails, this one is for fans of a bitter punch thanks to the Campari.

1. 1 ½ oz. Brother’s Bond Bourbon

2. ¾ oz. Campari Italian Liqueur

3. ¾ oz. Cinzano 1757 Vermouth di Torino Rosso

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a Nick & Nora, garnish with a lemon twist, and serve up.

We’re using New York City Bourbon for this one, so we’re going with their Empire State Cobbler recipe, a variation on the classic cobbler.

1. 2 oz. Great Jones Straight Bourbon

2. 1 oz. Apple cider

3. ½ oz. Orgeat

4. ½ oz. Fresh lemon juice

5. Nutmeg

Combine the liquid ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into an ice-filled double Old Fashioned glass. Grate nutmeg on top and garnish with a dehydrated apple slice.

This popular bourbon cocktail requires just enough dexterity to get the egg white separated from the yolk. After that, it’s a matter of proportions.

1. 2 oz. Jack Daniel’s Bonded Tennessee Whiskey

2. ¾ oz. Simple syrup

3. ¾ oz. Fresh lemon juice

4. 1 Egg white

Add all ingredients to a shaker tin without ice and shake until mixed well. Add ice to the shaker, and shake until well chilled. Strain into a coupe glass, garnish with a Luxardo cherry, and serve up.

This list covers most of the best sellers in the industry, but there are many more recipes in the Bourbon and Whiskey Cocktail Collection in our Cocktail Lounge. Changing brands, barrel finishes, age statements, fruit, bitters, etc., creates nearly endless variations of your favorites.