Here are all the best whiskey cocktails! Pick from these easy classic drinks using bourbon, Scotch, Irish and rye whiskey.

Whiskey cocktails

Got a great bottle of whiskey? Let’s make a cocktail! Here’s a list of the best whiskey cocktails that’s a true history lesson…so you can count your drinking as learning, too! These classic cocktails span the ages: starting in 1688, through the 1800’s to the Prohibition Era and today. Sample from all the classic whiskey cocktails, and then see what modern bartenders are whipping up. The cocktail recipes in the list below include:

There are summer whiskey drinks, and cocktails more suited for fall and winter. There are easy whiskey cocktails and craft drinks with more unique ingredients. They’re sweet, sour, spicy, spirit-forward, fruity: there’s truly something for everyone, even those on the fence about this spicy spirit. Let’s get to the list: because it’s truly something special.

And now…the best great whiskey cocktails!

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Whiskey sour

Classic Whiskey Sour


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 drink 1x

Description

This easy whiskey sour recipe is perfectly balanced and so easy to make! Garnish with an orange peel and a cocktail cherry.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) bourbon whiskey*
  • 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ ounce (1 ½ tablespoons) pure maple syrup (or simple syrup)
  • Garnish: Orange peel and a cocktail cherry
  • Ice, for serving

Instructions

  1. Add the bourbon whiskey, lemon juice, and syrup to a cocktail shaker. Fill with a handful of ice and shake until very cold.
  2. Strain the drink into a lowball or Old Fashioned glass. Serve with ice, an orange peel and a cocktail cherry. 

Notes

*You can use any variety of whiskey, but we prefer it with the sweeter flavor of bourbon. 

  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Shaken
  • Cuisine: Cocktails
  • Diet: Vegan

Keywords: Whiskey cocktails

More cocktails!

There are so many great cocktail recipes! Whether you’re an amateur home mixologist or just want to mix up a great drink with whatever’s in your liquor cabinet, we’ve got you covered. Here are some of our best cocktail collections out of our 200+ drinks:

Read more: Bourbon vs Whiskey

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

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2 Comments

  1. Besides the fact I am born and raised in New Orleans, I also speak patois and provincial french. Vieux Carre does not translate to French Quarter (though I understand why you may have assumed so from our city’s tourist website). It actually means Old Square, which refers to the French Quarter, which used to be the Spanish Quarter so the people actually living back then simply called it the Old Square to save on confusion.