20 Whiskey Cocktails That Are Perfect for Summer

Whiskey Smash

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more easygoing whiskey drink than this 19th-century classic, which combines bourbon with muddled lemon wedges, mint, and simple syrup. You can also opt for rye or Canadian whisky.

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Whiskey Sour

The Whiskey Sour is a great cocktail any time of year, but its thirst-quenching properties make it ideal for summer. While an egg white traditionally gives the combination of bourbon, lemon juice, and sugar its frothy top and luxurious mouthfeel, you can omit the ingredient if desired. Drops of Angostura bitters add aromatic complexity and an eye-catching design.

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Whiskey Highball

With just three ingredients—whiskey, soda water, and ice—the Whiskey Highball can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. Many Japanese bars have famously perfected their method down to the precise number of revolutions in the glass.

You can also experiment with different types of whiskey—bourbon, rye, wheated whiskey, scotch, or Japanese whisky are all great options.

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Kentucky Maid

A combination of whiskey, mint, and sugar makes this Sam Ross original similar to the Mint Julep, but muddled cucumber and lime juice create an even more refreshing flavor profile. Ross uses Elijah Craig Small Batch, though you can feel free to use your bourbon of choice, preferably a high-proof bottle.

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Bourbon Rickey

The Gin Rickey might get more attention these days, but if you want to toast its namesake you should try the original Rickey, a tart mix of bourbon, sparkling water, and fresh lime juice. It was invented in honor of Colonel Joe Rickey, a Democratic lobbyist who favored zero-sugar drinks.

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Mint Julep

This refreshing combination of bourbon, muddled mint, and simple syrup might be the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, but it’s delicious any time of year, or day: It was first recorded in an 1803 book as a “dram of spirituous liquor that has mint steeped in it, taken by Virginians of a morning.” 

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High King Highball

This fruity Collins-style cocktail comes from Joaquín Simó of the now-shuttered New York City bar Pouring Ribbons. Here, the fruit-forward apple notes of Clontarf Irish whiskey integrate seamlessly into a combination of muddled raspberries, Aperol, lemon and grapefruit juices, simple syrup, and a dash of Peychaud’s bitters, topped with club soda.

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Gold Rush

First created at New York City’s Milk & Honey in the early 2000s, this mix of bourbon, honey syrup, and fresh lemon juice is indeed liquid currency. Whiskey Sour fans will love the drink’s sweet-tart flavor profile, but the honey syrup adds a lushness that makes it one-of-kind.

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Kentucky Buck

This fruity and spicy creation of Erick Castro plays off the Buck format (spirit, citrus, ginger ale or ginger beer), combining bourbon with muddled strawberries, lemon juice, and ginger. Castro opts to make a rich ginger syrup and add effervescence in the form of club soda, but you can also swap in a high-quality ginger beer.

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Sweet Tea Smash

First shaken up at New York City’s legendary Please Don’t Tell (PDT), this Whiskey Smash twist combines muddled mint and lemon, Tennessee whiskey, unsweetened iced tea, and cane syrup. The Italian liqueur Strega lends an unexpected herbaceousness to the mix.

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Kentucky Mule

Swap vodka for bourbon in the classic lime juice-ginger beer combination, and you have the Kentucky Mule. Bourbon cuts through the other ingredients more than vodka, producing an extra-flavorful drink with an appeal all its own.

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Shandy Maker

An overproof bourbon, muddled marjoram, grapefruit and lemon juices, and simple syrup are topped with a hoppy, floral IPA for this herbaceous beer cocktail. It’s certainly more complex than your average Shandy, but its fresh and citrusy flavors make it right at home in your summer drinking repertoire. 

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Irish Maid

This variation on the Kentucky Maid swaps bourbon for—what else—Irish whiskey. St-Germain liqueur adds floral sweetness to the combination of whiskey, muddled cucumber, and lemon juice.

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Lynchburg Lemonade

Named for the Tennessee home of the Jack Daniel’s distillery, this 1980s favorite combines Tennessee whiskey, triple sec, lemon juice, simple syrup, and lemon-lime soda. The original recipe called for pre-made sour mix, but it’s best left in the ’80s, along with the lawsuit the drink inspired.

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Northern Harvest Buck

It doesn’t get simpler than the Buck, a cocktail which combines a spirit with citrus and either ginger ale or ginger beer. This basic riff adds two dashes of Angostura bitters to a mix of rye whiskey, lime juice, and ginger beer, producing a more complex drink for a little extra effort. 

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Bulldog Smash

This fruity Whiskey Smash variation might be even more quaffable than the original: Muddled mint, lemon, peaches, and sugar are topped with bourbon, Cointreau, and simple syrup.

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Summer Rye

An excellent case for whiskey’s year-round appeal: this fruity and floral combination of rye whiskey, St-Germain, simple syrup, and lemon and apple juices. Champagne adds a festive effervescence.

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Peach Beer Julep

Cocktail pro Lynnette Marrero was inspired by the stone-fruit notes in India Pale Ales to create this Mint Julep riff, which combines an IPA simple syrup with muddled peaches and bourbon. The results are, well, just peachy.

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Coal Miner’s Daughter

“Floral” and “herbaceous” are often words associated with lighter spirits, but this drink puts bourbon front and center. Lemon juice, honey, ginger syrup, and a sprig of lavender also join the shaker, producing a fresh and fragrant drink.

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High Tide

A homemade green tea syrup gives this Japanese whisky highball a mild earthiness. Cointreau, lemon juice, and tonic water heighten the drink’s refreshing flavor profile.

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