Four Whiskey Cocktail Recipes

By Gayot Editors

When it comes to crafting the perfect whiskey cocktail at home, you don’t need much to set yourself up for success. To help you out, we’ve collected a handful of whiskey cocktail recipes using bourbon, scotch and rye. So get ready to raise a glass and step up your bartending game.

Best Bourbons
Best Single Malt Scotch
Best Blended Scotch Whiskies
• and the Best Ryes for more sipping fun.

You’ve heard of gin and tonic, but this simple three-ingredient cocktail is a tasty twist that civilizes the bourbon flavor without burying it.

INGREDIENTS:
– 1 1/3 oz. Bulleit Bourbon BUY NOW!
– 4 oz. tonic
– lemon wedge

METHOD:
• Pour the bourbon and tonic over ice in a rocks glass.
• Garnish with a generous wedge of lemon and enjoy.

> Recipe courtesy of Bulleit Bourbon

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Dewar's Smash Cocktail is a refreshing cocktail using blended Scotch whisky

This refreshing cocktail is ideal for warmer months, but since whisky is a beloved “winter spirit,” you’d be remiss to dismiss it during the cooler season.

INGREDIENTS:
– 2 parts Dewar’s White Label Blended Scotch Whisky BUY NOW!
– 2 heaping teaspoons granulated sugar (or 3/4 part simple syrup)
– 2 wedges of lemon
– 8 fresh mint leaves
– Soda water

METHOD:
• Muddle the lemon, mint and sugar in the bottom of a mixing glass.
• Add Dewar’s White Label, shake and strain into a Collins/highball glass filled with crushed ice.
• Top with soda water and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

> Recipe courtesy of Dewar’s Blended Scotch Whisky

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Russell's Rye Manhattan offers a classic Manhattan taste

There’s no need to reach for a chaser with Russell’s Reserve Rye, but the 90-proof spirit still rewards drinkers with a warmth that’s easy to trace from mouth to stomach. This simple cocktail offers the classic Manhattan experience. 

INGREDIENTS:
– 3 parts Russell’s Reserve Rye BUY NOW!
– 1 part sweet vermouth
– 2 dashes of Angostura bitters

METHOD:
• Combine ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice.
• Stir and strain into a chilled coupe.
• Garnish with three brandied cherries.

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SUGGESTED: Best Classic Cocktail Recipes

Try the timeless Sazerac cocktail with this easy-to-make recipe

The famed Sazerac cocktail is a classic, but did you know the original Sazerac was made with brandy, absinthe, a lump of sugar and a few drops of bitters? It was a medicinal recipe created by Creole apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud.

INGREDIENTS:
– 1 1/2 oz. Sazerac Rye Whiskey
– 1 tsp. Pernod or Herbsaint liqueur BUY NOW!
– 1 tsp. sugar
– 3 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
– Ice

METHOD:
Coat a chilled, old-fashioned glass with the Pernod or Herbsaint by swirling it around the entire sides and bottom of the glass.
• In a cocktail shaker, add a few ice cubes, rye whiskey, sugar and bitters.
• Shake gently, then strain into the glass.

SUGGESTED: The History of Absinthe – The Green Fairy