The 25 Best Bourbon Cocktails

Gold Rush cocktail in an engraved rocks glass with single large ice cup and lemon twist, on a dark marble background

Some purists will argue that bourbon is best consumed neat, but the spirit’s slightly sweet and mellow flavor profile also shines in a wide range of cocktails, from spirit-forward classics like the Old Fashioned to luscious Whiskey Sour riffs and fruit-forward highballs.

Wherever your flavor preferences lie, there’s likely a bourbon cocktail you’ll enjoy. Here are 25 of our favorites.

Old Fashioned

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The most classic of all bourbon cocktails, the Old Fashioned has been around for more than 200 years. Its staying power owes to its simplicity: Little more than a slug of whiskey, seasoned and sweetened with Angostura bitters and sugar, the drink is more special than a neat pour, but nearly as easy to enjoy.

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Whiskey Sour

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This silky-smooth mixture of whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, and an egg white is perhaps the most iconic example of bourbon’s versatility in cocktails. The spirit’s natural sweetness perfectly complements the tart lemon juice and is easier to balance than many other whiskeys.

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Mint Julep

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Though it’s nearly synonymous with the Kentucky Derby, this refreshing and simple combination of bourbon and mint muddled with simple syrup deserves to be a year-round staple. Since crushed ice (and sometimes shaved ice) is a trademark of the drink, it’s worth pulling out a higher-proof bourbon that can stand up to the extra dilution.

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Boulevardier

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One of many Negroni spin-offs and nearly as beloved in its own right, the Boulevardier is a balanced combination of bitter, boozy, and sweet. Swapping crisp and botanical gin for the warming notes of bourbon produces a spirit-forward drink that will please Negroni and Old Fashioned fans alike.

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Manhattan

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One of the best-known and most popular cocktails in the whiskey canon, the Manhattan is commonly thought of as a rye-based drink. However, bourbon’s smoother and mellower qualities play just as nicely with sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters.

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New York Sour

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Both simple to make and impressive to serve, this Whiskey Sour variation is characterized by its red wine float. The extra ingredient adds undeniable visual flair, but also tempers the drink’s sweetness with its earthy notes.

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Gold Rush

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Created at the New York City institution Milk & Honey in the early 2000s, this cocktail has spread worldwide at such a pace that it’s often assumed to be a pre-Prohibition classic. Essentially a honey-soaked Whiskey Sour, the drink is a lush combination of bourbon, honey syrup, and fresh lemon juice.

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Left Hand

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Created by famed New York City bartender Sam Ross, this spirit-forward drink is essentially a Boulevardier with the addition of chocolate bitters. The fourth ingredient creates an even richer, chocolate covered cherry-esque flavor profile.

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Paper Plane

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This Last Word riff from Ross calls for equal parts bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino Quintessentia, and fresh lemon juice. Though it features none of the ingredients of the original, it strikes a similar balance between bitter, sour, and herbal notes.

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Kentucky Maid

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This hyper-refreshing drink from Ross combines bourbon with muddled cucumbers, mint leaves, and simple syrup. Ross uses Elijah Craig Small Batch, a relatively high-proof option that can stand up to the other ingredients.

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Bourbon Rickey

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The Gin Rickey has arguably upstaged this whiskey version, but it was in fact the original, first requested by Democratic lobbyist Joe Rickey in Washington, D.C. The combination of bourbon, lime juice, and sparkling water is ideal for those who prefer their highballs on the tarter side.

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Millionaire

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Thought to have been created during Prohibition, this fruity and herbaceous Whiskey Sour riff combines bourbon with grenadine, Grand Marnier, absinthe or pastis, and an egg white. A homemade or high-quality grenadine is key to the drink’s balance, since it calls for a generous half-ounce.

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Brown Derby

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Named for the eponymous hat-shaped Los Angeles diner, this three-ingredient cocktail—bourbon, fresh grapefruit juice, honey syrup—became a Hollywood classic in the 1930s. Its relatively simple ingredient list belies a complex sweet-tart flavor profile.

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Kentucky Buck

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This fruit-forward modern classic from San Diego bar pro Erick Castro combines bourbon with the sweet and spicy notes of strawberries and ginger. Though Castro uses a homemade ginger syrup and club soda, a high-quality ginger beer can be swapped in for ease of preparation.

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Hot Toddy

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A neat pour of bourbon will certainly warm you up. But this classic hot drink—made with whiskey, boiling water, sugar, and lemon juice—is equally adept at providing a much-needed liquid embrace on cooler nights. While any type of whiskey will do, bourbon is one of the most common options.

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Kentucky Mule

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Swapping the usual vodka for bourbon in the Moscow Mule format—spirit, lime juice, ginger beer—is a simple way to create a more flavorful and nuanced drink. Like the original, it can easily be made right in the copper mug or highball glass.

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Amaretto Sour

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A classic Amaretto Sour is made with its namesake almond-flavored liqueur, along with lemon juice, simple syrup, and an optional egg white. For this slightly more complex variation, bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler relies on amaretto as the base ingredient but rounds out the drink with the warming and spicy notes of a cask-proof bourbon.

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Benton’s Old Fashioned

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Bar pro Don Lee created this Old Fashioned twist in 2007 at the seminal New York City bar Please Don’t Tell (better known as PDT) by infusing bourbon with Benton’s smoked country ham. Combined with maple syrup and Angostura bitters, the fat-washed bourbon produces a richly flavored and unique drink.

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Billionaire

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How does one upgrade the classic Millionaire? An overproof bourbon is the answer at New York City’s Employees Only, where this riff was created. Fresh lemon juice, grenadine, simple syrup, and absinthe bitters also go into the shaker.

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Bourbon & Berries

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This fruit-forward Old Fashioned variation shows off bourbon’s lighter side. A homemade strawberry-vanilla syrup adds a sweet, seasonal flavor to the classic bourbon-and-bitters combination.

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Peach Beer Julep

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Bar legend Lynette Marrero was inspired by the stone-fruit notes in India Pale Ales to create this Mint Julep riff. A hoppy IPA syrup sweetens an inventive combination of bourbon and muddled peach slices, while a fresh mint garnish nods to the drink’s inspiration.

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Ginger Rabbit

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A black tea and star anise-infused simple syrup, fresh ginger, and Creme Yvette star in this spicy and slightly floral bourbon drink from bartender Damian Windsor. A rye-forward bourbon like Basil Hayden’s complements the drink’s bold spice flavors.

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Bourbon Lift

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Bourbon’s slightly sweet notes can work particularly well in dessert drinks. Akin to a boozy egg cream, this cocktail from bar pro Erik Adkins combines its namesake spirit with coffee liqueur, heavy cream, and nutty orgeat, all topped with club soda.

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Normandie Old Fashioned

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This unique variation on the classic from The Normandie Club in Los Angeles calls for a coconut-infused bourbon, a spiced almond demerara syrup, and applejack. Though it’s certainly more time-consuming than a typical Old Fashioned, the additional ingredients add layers of flavor that are particularly appropriate for autumn evenings.

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Revolver

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San Francisco bartender Jon Santer created this slightly earthy Manhattan riff, swapping the usual sweet vermouth for coffee liqueur and Angostura bitters for orange bitters. While you can use any bourbon you have on hand, the original calls for rye-forward Bulleit bourbon.

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