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  3. 26 Bourbon Cocktail Recipes to Make Tonight

26 Bourbon Cocktail Recipes to Make Tonight

By Food & Wine Updated October 01, 2021
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Banana Rum Old Fashioned Recipe
Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Bourbon cocktails always hit the mark. It is one of our favorites spirits, and these cocktail recipes put this whiskey in the spotlight. From a refreshing Bourbon Tea Julep to a sophisticated update on an Old Fashioned, these drinks are refreshing, smooth and delicious. Try a maple-infused cocktail for a seasonal fall drink, or cool off with a citrusy sunset punch on warmer days. Step up your bartending game with one of these easy, memorable cocktail recipes at your next party.

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Morrison Mule

Morrison Mule
Credit: © Eva Kolenko
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In memory of Jim Morrison's stay at the historic Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans (and his affinity for whiskey), Benton Bourgeois of the hotel's Hot Tin bar offers this take on a classic Moscow Mule with bourbon and local Peychaud's Aperitivo. It's perfect for easy drinking any time of year.

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Maple-Bourbon Smash

Maple-Bourbon Smash
Credit: Michael Turek
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Robb Turner uses his richly flavored dark amber syrup to make this riff on an Old-Fashioned cocktail.

  • Recipes with Maple Syrup

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Rock 'n' Rolla

Rock 'n' Rolla
Credit: © David Malosh
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"I love this drink because it is immensely accessible and easy to make," says Bay Area bartender Chris Lane. "Really it's just a bourbon sour with a little flourish of spice and apple." Lane's inspiration for the drink: a local biodynamic apple cider.

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Alpine Manhattan

Alpine Manhattan
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Herbalist Shae Whitney makes a lovely pine syrup from fresh pine needles. She uses it in this strong and wonderfully fragrant drink.

  • Beautiful Cocktails

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Palmer Park Swizzle

Palmer Park Swizzle
Credit: © Eva Kolenko
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The ultimate Southern refresher, this cocktail from the Bayou Bar at the Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans combines tea-infused bourbon, lime juice and mint for a boozy take on iced tea.

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Bourbon-Tea Julep

Bourbon Tea Julep
Credit: Kelly Marshall
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Tannins from black tea add a beautiful hint of bitterness to this twist 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.

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New York Sour

New York Sour
Credit: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas
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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 look great in a rocks glass, too. If you're feeling adventurous, add an egg white to the shaker for a thicker viscosity.

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Banana-Rum Old-Fashioned

Banana Rum Old Fashioned Recipe
Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
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A bold, strong cocktail with both high-proof bourbon and light rum gets a hint of floral sweetness from mellow crème de banane.

  • Grapefruit Recipes

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The Bobby Boucher

The Bobby Boucher
Credit: © Tina Rupp
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This drink is based on the 1930s Bobby Burns. Changing the Scotch in the original to bourbon made the drink Southern; trading some of the vermouth for cherry Heering made it a little sweet, says mixologist John Coltharp.

  • Southern Cocktails

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Commodore 64

Commodore 64
Credit: © Tina Rupp
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This predinner drink at is Jason Chan's orange-infused variation on the Commodore No. 2 (bourbon, crème de cacao, lemon juice and grenadine) from the 1935 Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book.

  • Best Cocktail Bars in the U.S.

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Kentucky Cousin

Kentucky Cousin
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Though it was created in Minneapolis, the Kentucky Cousin has distinctly Southern components: mint, bourbon and iced tea.

  • Mint Julep Recipes

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Ginger Julep

Ginger Julep
Credit: © Michael Crook
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Bobby Flay's gingery take on a Southern julep is fresh and lively. He adds fresh orange juice and a ginger mint syrup that make this cocktail sing.

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Apples to Oranges

Apples to Oranges
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People who taste this citrusy cocktail almost always guess that it contains apples or oranges or some other fruit, but never the actual ingredients: cucumber and grapefruit.

  • Wine Cocktails

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Blueberry-Maple Caiprissimo

Blueberry-Maple Caiprissimo
Credit: © Wendell T. Webber
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A blueberry-rosemary flan led to this cocktail's unlikely mix of flavors.

  • Summer Fruit Cocktails

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Wager

Wager
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After winning a bet with a guest about whether bourbon has to be made in Bourbon County, Kentucky (it doesn't), Jeff Grdinich designed this cocktail with Bulleit Bourbon from Anderson County.

  • Best New Bars

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Hello Friday

hello friday
Credit: Victor Protasio
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Spicy ginger ale and the baking spice notes from a big hit of Angostura bitters perk up the bourbon in this bubbly reviver from Chall Gray at Little Jumbo in Asheville, North Carolina. If you can't find Blenheim, look for ginger beer.

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The Charleston Bog

The Charleston Bog
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Mixologist Ralph Rosenberg wanted to create a bourbon drink that was appealing to non-bourbon drinkers. The result, which Rosenberg makes with Maker's Mark bourbon, is this lightly sweet pink drink.

  • Cranberry Recipes

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Blanca Julep

Blanca Julep
Credit: © Wendell T. Webber
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Bar manager Jennifer Zerboni likes to tinker with the classic mint julep during horse-racing season. She used to flavor this julep with a mint granité, but that proved "too sticky and messy." Now she makes the drink with mint simple syrup.

  • Granitas

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Sunset Punch

Sunset Punch
Credit: © John Kernick
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This bourbon sunset punch is full of citrusy flavors like fresh lemon and ginger beer. It's a certified party pleaser. 

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Aqueduct

Aqueduct
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This variation on the old-fashioned is named after the one horse racetrack located within New York City limits.

  • Classic Cocktails

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Caffè Di Alpi

Caffè Di Alpi
Credit: © Wendell T. Webber
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Bartender Steve Peters dreamed up Caffè di Alpi ("Alpine Coffee" in Italian) as a deliciously warming après-ski drink.

  • Warming Drinks

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Kentucky Special

Kentucky Special
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At The Woodsman Tavern in Portland, Oregon, mixologist Evan Zimmerman infuses cherry liqueur with the smoked tea Lapsang souchong. The result? An excellent riff on an old-fashioned.

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Bourbon Chai Milk Punch

Bourbon Chai Milk Punch
Credit: © David Malosh
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To make this drink, which is like a delicious, boozy chai latte, Kenta Goto of New York City's Bar Goto infuses bourbon with chai tea, then shakes the drink with cream and maple syrup.

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Georgia on My Mind

Georgia on My Mind
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Beer, an increasingly popular mixer, adds carbonation and a pleasant funkiness to cocktails. The apricot ale here offers fruitiness, too.

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Americana

HD-fw2007_c_americana.jpg
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Almost all of the cocktails at JP incorporate wine; the garnishes are made by chef Darren Bartley, who brandies peaches for this drink.

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Bizzy Izzy


Bizzy Izzy
Credit: Savanna Sturkie
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Oloroso sherry has been used in cocktails since before Prohibition, its sweetness and body a great match for aged spirits like bourbon. Tom Bullock uses both in the Bizzy Izzy, a cocktail from the classic 1917 book The Ideal Bartender.

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    Everything in This Slideshow

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    View All

    1 of 26 Morrison Mule
    2 of 26 Maple-Bourbon Smash
    3 of 26 Rock 'n' Rolla
    4 of 26 Alpine Manhattan
    5 of 26 Palmer Park Swizzle
    6 of 26 Bourbon-Tea Julep
    7 of 26 New York Sour
    8 of 26 Banana-Rum Old-Fashioned
    9 of 26 The Bobby Boucher
    10 of 26 Commodore 64
    11 of 26 Kentucky Cousin
    12 of 26 Ginger Julep
    13 of 26 Apples to Oranges
    14 of 26 Blueberry-Maple Caiprissimo
    15 of 26 Wager
    16 of 26 Hello Friday
    17 of 26 The Charleston Bog
    18 of 26 Blanca Julep
    19 of 26 Sunset Punch
    20 of 26 Aqueduct
    21 of 26 Caffè Di Alpi
    22 of 26 Kentucky Special
    23 of 26 Bourbon Chai Milk Punch
    24 of 26 Georgia on My Mind
    25 of 26 Americana
    26 of 26 Bizzy Izzy


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    26 Bourbon Cocktail Recipes to Make Tonight
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