Bourbon-based Cocktail Recipes for Your Home Bar
With summer right around the corner, it's time to freshen up on all your cocktail recipes!
Old Fashion
Ingredients
- 1 tsp simple syrup or 1 sugar cube and a small drop of soda water
- 2-4 dashes aromatic bitters
- 1 half dollar-sized slice orange peel
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1 maraschino cherry
Preparation
- Take an old-fashioned glass and combine simple syrup (or sugar cube and soda water) and Angostura Bitters (muddle sugar cube to dissolve)
- Fill glass halfway with ice and 2 ounces of bourbon before stirring
- Garnish with orange peel (squeeze over the glass to extract oils) and a maraschino cherry
[For a Maple Old-Fashioned, substitute simple syrup or sugar cube with pure maple syrup]
Manhattan
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- 2-3 dashes aromatic bitters
- 1 cherry
Preparation
- Combine bourbon, vermouth, and bitters in a cocktail shaker and stir
- Using a Hawthorne strainer pour into a chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with cherry and serve
Boulevardier Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- 1 ounce Campari
- Orange or Lemon twist
Preparation
- Pour bourbon, vermouth, and Campari into an ice-filled cocktail shaker
- Stir vigorously to combine (30 seconds-1 minute)
- Using a julep strainer pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange twist
John Collins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 bourbon
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 2 ounces club soda
- 1 maraschino cherry
- Orange slice
Preparation
- In an ice-filled Collins glass pour bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup and stir
- Top with club soda
- Garnish with cherry and orange slice
Sour Sunrise
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 ounces bourbon
- 1 1/4 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 1/2 ounce grenadine
Preparation
- In a cocktail shaker combine bourbon, citrus juices, and simple syrup. Shake once, add ice and shake again
- Strain into a cocktail glass
- Slowly pour grenadine around the inner edge of the glass. It will sink to the bottom and create the sunrise effect.
Paradise Apple
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 4 dried figs, halved
- 1 oz. bourbon
- ¾ oz. dry Riesling
- ½ oz. St-Germain Elderflower liqueur
- ½ oz. apple cider
- ½ oz. fresh lemon juice
- ¼ oz. Fig-Infused Honey Syrup
- Garnish: Apple slice
Preparation
- Fig-infused honey syrup: warm honey, dried figs, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat (stir to completely dissolve honey). Keep warm for 10 minutes (lowering heat, if needed, to avoid coming to a simmer) DO NOT let it boil
- Remove from heat and let cool uncovered for 10 minutes
- Pour fig mixture into a blender and blend until smooth (about 1 minute)
- Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a resealable jar. (This is enough syrup for 10 drinks; can store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks)
- Cocktail: Add bourbon, Riesling, St.-Germain, apple cider, lemon juice, and fig-infused honey syrup to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until well chilled (15 seconds)
- Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass and garnish with an apple slice
Newton's Law
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon hot water
- 1 ½ oz. bourbon
- ½ oz. fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons apple butter
- orange twist
- ground cinnamon
Preparation
- Stir brown sugar and hot water in a cocktail shaker to dissolve; let cool
- Then add bourbon, lemon juice, apple butter, and fill with ice. Shake until well chilled (15 seconds)
- Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass and garnish with an orange twist and cinnamon
Bourbon Fruit Tea Punch
Ingredients
- 6 black tea bags or 3 Tbsp. loose black tea
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup fresh orange juice
- ¾ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1½ cups bourbon
Preparation
- Brew 2 cups of tea (5 minutes)
- Remove tea bags, and stir in sugar; let cool (10 minutes) before transferring to a pitcher
- Add orange, pineapple, lemon juice, and 4 cups cold water; stir
- Chill fruit tea in the refrigerator (2 hours)
- Pour 1 1/2 oz. bourbon into an ice-filled glass and add 6 oz. fruit tea; stir to combine. Alternatively, combine 6 cups fruit tea and 1 1/2 cups bourbon in the pitcher to pour among 8 ice-filled glasses
The New York Sour
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- 1/2 ounce fruity red wine (such as Shiraz or Malbec)
Preparation
- Combine bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, cover, and shake (30 seconds)
- Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass
- Gently pour 1/2 ounce fruity red wine over the back of a spoon held just above the drink's surface so wine floats on top
Rosé, Bourbon, and Blue
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons raw sugar
- 2 cups fresh blueberries, divided
- 2 cups brewed unsweetened black tea
- 1 1/2 cups fruity rosé
- 1 cup bourbon
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 8 lemon slices
Preparation
- Stir sugar and 7 tablespoons hot water in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved; transfer to a food processor
- Add 1 1/2 cups blueberries to processor and purée
- Set a strainer over a large pitcher and strain blueberry mixture (press to extract liquid from solid, then discard solid)
- Add tea, rosé, bourbon, and lemon juice to the pitcher and refrigerate till cooled (2 hours)
- Add remaining blueberries to the pitcher. Fill old-fashioned glasses with ice and divide cocktail.
- Garnish with lemon slices and serve.
Gold Rush
Ingredients
- 2 oz. bourbon
- ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
- ¾ oz. honey
Preparation
- Combine bourbon, lemon juice, and honey in a cocktail shaker, then fill with ice
- Cover and shake vigorously to dissolve honey (20 seconds)
- Using a Hawthorne strainer pour over an ice-filled rocks glass
Kentucky Kiss
Ingredients
- 2 large fresh strawberries, sliced; 1 Fresh strawberry for garnish
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce maple syrup
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1 splash club soda
Preparation
- In an old-fashioned glass combine sliced strawberries, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Muddle until berries are mashed.
- Add bourbon and fill with ice
- Add a splash of club soda and garnish with a strawberry
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