Drinks Cocktails Whiskey & Bourbon Cocktails 21 Bourbon Cocktails You Can Make Tonight Try your hand at a Paper Plane or a Boulevardier. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 1, 2023 Close Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Liberty Fennell If you ask us, no home bar is complete without a bottle of bourbon. "Both Scotch and bourbon are whisk(e)y, meaning they’re wood-aged spirits that have been distilled from a fermented mash of grains," writes Food & Wine contributor Brian Freedman. "Bourbon is based on corn, not barley. According to regulations, it must be composed of a mash bill (basically the list of grains that have been used) consisting of at least 51% corn." We're amazed by bourbon's versatility when it comes to making sweet, tart, and warming cocktails. For something unexpectedly tangy, try your hand at a Tamarind Whiskey Sour. Entertaining a crowd? We'd recommend whipping up a batch of Whiskey Chai. It's also worth getting comfortable with classic bourbon cocktails, like the Mint Julep, New York Sour, and Paper Plane. Read on for our favorite bourbon cocktails to make anytime. 01 of 21 Winter Berries Cocktail Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Liberty Fennell Fruity, rich, and mildly sweet dark-berry liqueur plays well with effervescent sparkling wine in this Winter Berries cocktail, while grain-forward bourbon adds a touch of heat. Garnish this bubbly sipper with a thin half-moon slice of lemon. Get the Recipe 02 of 21 Maple-Bourbon Smash Julia Hartbeck Richly flavored dark amber maple syrup combines with citrus juices and seltzer to make this lightened riff on an Old-Fashioned cocktail. Get the Recipe 03 of 21 Boulevardier Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter The Boulevardier is the whiskey lover's Negroni. Made with three simple ingredients — bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth — this straightforward cocktail comes together in seconds with staples you likely always keep in your home bar. Get the Recipe 04 of 21 Alpine Brew Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Merlyn Miller This delicious, highly caffeinated cocktail combines bourbon, coffee liqueur, cold brew, maple syrup, and walnut bitters. Get the Recipe 05 of 21 Tamarind Whiskey Sour Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Liberty Fennell Tamarind imbues any dish with a telltale sharp, sweet, yet tart kick. It adds just the right amount of excitement to surprise even the most dedicated drinker of this classic cocktail. Get the Recipe 06 of 21 Paper Plane Guillermo Riveros / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter Though the Paper Plane is easy to put together and it's plenty easy-drinking, it offers a complex flavor profile: still bright and fresh but with enough heft to make it autumn-appropriate. Get the Recipe 07 of 21 Bourbon-Tea Julep Kelly Marshall Tannins from black tea add a beautiful hint of bitterness to this variation on a classic Mint Julep. The citrus oil, oleo saccharum, is made by steeping lemon peels in sugar. Its bright flavor is the perfect lift to finish each sip. Get the Recipe 08 of 21 Shadow Woman Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis This Old-Fashioned–style cocktail gets a fruity kick from pear brandy and gentle sweetness from honey; the bourbon adds a bite without overpowering the drink. Pear brandy is a highly aromatic and unsweetened liquor made from fermented pears. Get the Recipe 09 of 21 Banana-Rum Old-Fashioned Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen A bold, strong cocktail with both high-proof bourbon and light rum gets a hint of floral sweetness from mellow crème de banane. Get the Recipe 10 of 21 Withering Sunrise Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon Bourbon and puréed mango are a match made in heaven. Get the Recipe 11 of 21 New York Sour Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas The perfect balance of fruity red wine and smoky-sweet bourbon, the New York Sour cocktail is a classic for a reason. Shaking with large ice cubes chills the cocktail without diluting it — and those large cubes made with ice sphere molds look great in a rocks glass, too. If you're feeling adventurous, add an egg white to the shaker for a thicker viscosity. Get the Recipe 12 of 21 Mint Julep Photo by Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis The Mint Julep has been the iconic drink of the Kentucky Derby since 1939, but references to the cocktail go as far back as the year 900, when it was sipped for medicinal purposes. When New Orleans bartender Chris McMillian was at Bar UnCommon, he recited an ode while mixing Mint Juleps, written in the 1890s by a Kentucky newspaperman, that calls the bourbon and mint cocktail "the very dream of drinks." Get the Recipe 13 of 21 Dog Days of Summer Ale Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon Cherry heering gives this beer-bourbon cocktail its striking red hue. Get the Recipe 14 of 21 Milk Punch Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter This classic, creamy milk punch will warm you up on the coldest winter evenings. Get the Recipe 15 of 21 Whiskey Samash Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This Hanukkah cocktail uses fig syrup to create a playful take on a whiskey smash cocktail. Get the Recipe 16 of 21 Hot Toddy Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon Is it really wintertime without a good hot toddy? We think not. Get the Recipe 17 of 21 Ginger and Bourbon Carey Jones This simple, soothing wintertime cocktail is a favorite for good reason. Get the Recipe 18 of 21 Whiskey Chai © Fredrika Stjärne Think of this comforting whiskey chai as a nightcap meant to satiate a crowd after a big night out. We're especially fond of the Zanzibar peppercorns from Burlap and Barrel, which add a bright, almost fruity touch to this sweet sipper. Get the Recipe 19 of 21 Apricot Nectarine Julep Photo by Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell A puree of roasted apricots and nectarines brings out bourbon's notes of vanilla and nutmeg, making for the ultimate late-summer cocktail. Pour some of the reserved puree on top of the crushed ice for a cocktail that almost resembles a Hawaiian shave ice. The same roast-and-puree technique can be used for more stone fruits, such as plums and sour cherries. Get the Recipe 20 of 21 Homemade Eggnog Photo by Adam Friedlander / Food Styling by Pearl Jones To make rich, creamy homemade eggnog, you'll need a double boiler and a whisk. In just two steps, you'll have a festive drink made ahead. Be sure to chill it thoroughly before serving, and give it a final whisk, too, to make sure everything is blended. Get the Recipe 21 of 21 In Cold Blood David Malosh Andrew Volk says this is currently the most popular order at Portland Hunt & Alpine Club in Maine. The drink, according to Volk, is "approachable but geeky with the salt," which he adds to balance the bitterness of the artichoke-flavored aperitif Cynar. Get the Recipe The 28 Best Gifts for Bourbon Drinkers, According to Whiskey Experts Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit