There are a lot of wonderful cocktails that use a variety of whiskey in different ways, but many can be quite complicated. That’s fine if it’s being created for you by a mixologist at your favorite speakeasy bar or cocktail lounge, but it can be challenging to make yourself at home.
Sommelier, whiskey expert and director of UK-based Good Wine Good People Dan Belmont curated this list of the six best whiskey cocktails that are easily made by an at-home bartender using accessible ingredients in your home bar.
Sazerac
The Sazerac is a New Orleans cocktail that’s easy to make, but has a lot of complexity in flavor and doesn’t require too many ingredients. “It’s a cocktail that lets the whiskey shine,” says Belmont. “You’re going to typically work with rye whiskey for this cocktail,” he adds.
Here’s how to make it:
- Grab a rocks glass
- Throw in a little absinthe and add ice to do a rinse of the glass
- Stir the following ingredients together on ice:
- Add 1 ½ ounces of rye whiskey
- Add one sugar cube or any kind of sweetener (you could also use simple syrup, maple syrup, or brown sugar)
- Add 3 dashes of PEYCHAUDS bitters
- Dump the ice and absinthe out of the glass
- Strain the drink into the glass
- Add a lemon peel for garnish
Whiskey Ginger
“I love just love a whiskey ginger,” says Belmont. “This is a cocktail that could be really low brow by simply doing whiskey and ginger ale – it could be that simple. But if you want to elevate it, you could do whiskey and ginger beer.” However, Belmont went to a cocktail bar in Brooklyn where they actually made their whiskey ginger with some fresh pressed ginger juice, so that’s how he has made it ever since because he likes that really spicy ginger note. “Depending on your love of ginger, you can go at this in different ways. It’s fresh. It’s mellow. And it couldn’t be easier,” he says.
Whiskey is almost considered exclusively an after-dinner beverage, but it doesn’t have to be, so this cocktail is one that brings energy and liveliness. “This is one that you could start the evening with and still be on the whiskey train, which I like. It’s super customizable depending on your tastes and brings a lot of flavor.”
Here’s how to make it:
- Grab a highball glass
- Add ice
- Add ½ ounce of fresh ground ginger juice
- Add 2 ounces of your preferred whiskey (Belmont recommends bourbon, rye or Japanese whiskey)
- Top it off with ginger beer or ginger soda
- Stir and enjoy!
Boulevardier
A boulevardier is a Negroni variation, but you’re replacing gin for bourbon. “A Negroni is the all-time easy cocktail with three ingredients, equal parts. A cocktail could not be easier,” said Belmont. “But the best part is that it’s, again, super customizable.” One of the important things Belmont notes about this cocktail is that it’s important to include ice in the process it because it will add texture, drop the temperature, and make it nice and smooth.
Here’s how to make it:
- Grab a rocks glass
- To dilute the cocktail, mix the following ingredients off to the side in a shaker with ice and then strain it into the glass afterwards
- Add 1 ounce bourbon (or peated Scotch for a more smokey vibe)
- Add 1 ounce Campari (Belmont says that you can also play with other bitters, including Aperol if you have that left over from brunch)
- Add 1 ounce part sweet vermouth
- Garnish with citrus (Belmont says that blood orange would be a great choice)
Mint Julep
“It’s kind of hard to talk about whiskey cocktails without talking about the American classic – the mint julep,” says Belmont. “This is the classic Kentucky Derby cocktail and, again, lots to play with here.” The sugar can be simple syrup, powdered sugar, brown sugar, agave, maple syrup, or honey. Belmont says you definitely want to use bourbon for this cocktail. It’a a great breakfast cocktail, especially if you’re off to the races,” says Belmont.
Here’s how to make it:
- Grab a highball glass
- Gently muddle 4 mint leaves and 1 tsp of your sweetener of choice
- Add a splash of soda water or water, depending on if you want it fizzy or not
- Add 2 ounces bourbon
- Stir until the glass is very cold
- Add some fresh mint leaves as a garnish
Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is the ultimate whiskey cocktail because it’s a perfect vehicle for whiskey, according to Belmont. There could not be an easier drink to make at home. It’s simply a combination of whiskey, sugar, and bitters. You could use bourbon, Scotch, or even Japanese whiskey – it’s really whatever you have at home at the time.
“There’s a lot of ways to customize this cocktail – especially with your choice of bitters. This is a category that’s exploded over the last 10 years or so and there are bitters in every kind of flavor and weird concoctions, so if you like bittering agents, I encourage you to go out there and explore and try different ones,” says Belmont. The classic is the angostura bitters since it’s the most ubiquitous, but Belmont says you could also try orange bitters. “I stock quite a bit from Bitterman’s in my personal bar, and there’s just a lot of ways to enhance and customize an Old Fashioned when you’re working with different kinds of bitters and sugars.”
The traditional old fashioned would have a sugar cube as the sugar agent, but sugar is sugar. “Again, you could play with things with honey, agave, maple syrup, brown sugar, or white sugar,” Belmont says.
Here’s how to make it:
- Grab a rocks glass
- Add the sugar cube (or other form of sugar)
- Add the bitters of your choice to saturate the sugar – depending on how bitter you like your Old Fashioned, you can choose how many dashes to add. Belmont says that many people typically add 2-3 dashes but he likes them more bitter, so he adds about 5-6 dashes.
- You can either add a dash of plain water and muddle until dissolved before adding the ice, or Belmont says he likes to add the ice cubes and let it mellow for a bit to dilute
- Fill the glass with ice cubes
- Add the whiskey of your choice
- Garnish with an orange slice and/or a cocktail cherry (the Luxardo cherries are a great choice)
The Rusty Nail
The rusty nail is a two-part cocktail – that’s it. It doesn’t take a lot of effort. “I was kind of marooned up in New Hampshire in the middle of nowhere for work, and we were staying in a house with very little to work with to make some cocktails. But, we did have two things. We had Scotch whiskey and we had Drambuie, I’d never heard of the latter, but it’s basically a sweet whiskey-based liqueur. And that’s all you need,” says Belmont.
You could do it with a one-to-one ratio or a two-to-one ratio, but Belmont prefers to do a two-to-one ratio so it’s not too sweet and lets the Scotch shine.
“It’s actually a really fun drink. Again, serving it on ice will unlock a lot of flavor. It’s a fun one and it could not be easier,” he says.
Here’s how to make it:
- Grab a rocks glass
- Add 1 ½ ounces of Scotch whiskey
- Add ¾ ounces of Drambuie
- Fill the glass with ice
- Mix it up
- Hit it with a bit of lemon rind