Buy The Best Quality Bourbon You Can Afford
While some cocktails rely on syrups and flavors that can disguise alcohol, these bourbon drinks are truly all about the bourbon itself.
Thats why I recommend spending a bit more to get a good quality bourbon. I took the liberty of trying several and have a clear favorite bourbon maker, Four Roses.
When you want the bourbon to be front and center, or if you plan on sipping it on the rocks, go with Four Roses Single Barrel. However, if you are mixing in several other flavors like citrus or spices then I recommend their Small Batch variety.
The Best Everyday Bourbons
What youre looking for in a no-occasion-needed bourbon is not stunning complexity. You want a bourbon that’s interesting enough to sip neat, versatile enough to mix in cocktails, and cheap enough to splash in a pan of caramelized onions. All five of the bourbons below fit the bill. And if you come to really enjoy one, here’s an easy bourbon hack: consider an upgrade from the same distillery. If you like the liquid to begin with, youll probably love a sister expression that features a secondary barrelling or a higher proof.
The first of our recommended everyday bourbons is the venerable Wild Turkey 101, which brings spicy notes and aromas of brown sugar and toffee vanilla. Wild Turkey 101 is often overlooked, even with Matthew McConaughey as its spokesperson, says bourbon writer and reviewer Susan Reigler, the former president of the Bourbon Women Association. People think of it as a rough and tumble cowboy whiskey, but its very beautifully balanced. Journalist Becky Paskin, formerly the editor of scotchwhisky.com, agrees, favoring its punchiness in mint juleps and Old Fashioneds.
Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
For the level-up, Young Kimbeverage director and whiskey sommelier at New Yorks The Flatiron Roomlikes Jim Beam Devils Cut, which blends 90-proof Beam with liquid extracted from the barrels themselves. Expect a woodier, more robust flavor with hints of spices, brown sugar, caramel, and butterscotch.
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What Can You Mix With Bird Dog Whiskey
Here are some cocktails perfect for poolside this summer.
- Southern Charm. .75 oz. Bird Dog Peach Whiskey. .25 oz. Orange Juice.
- Smashed. 1 oz. Bird Dog Blackberry Whiskey. 1 oz. Rum
- Blackberry Sling. Recipe: .5 oz. Bird Dog Blackberry Whiskey. 1 oz. (
What goes good with bird dog whiskey?
Mai Tai
- 1.5 oz. Bird Dog Peach Whiskey.
- 1.5 oz. Spiced Rum.
- Splash of Lemon-Lime Soda.
- Garnish: Skewered slices/pieces of fresh pineapple and lime.
is Bird Dog whiskey any good?whiskeywhiskeybestBird Dog
Contents
How To Make A Manhattan At Home
Not long ago, we sat and watched as a young mixologist painstakingly made us his take on a Manhattan. House-made bitters and vermouth were added. He stirred, never shook and the precision with which he used his personal zester, one that he has had for years was mesmerizing.
At home, we dont make our own vermouth or bitters, not that we would want to . Leaving the house-made stuff to the pros, we, instead, make this simple bourbon heavy recipe.
Recipe updated, originally posted February 2012. Since posting this in 2012, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. Adam and Joanne
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Orange Juice And Whiskey
Although many purists would shudder at the thought of mixing orange juice with whiskey, it can work well with many bourbons and Irish whiskeys.
The tartness and fresh flavors of orange juice work wonderfully with whiskey. Its also very easy to make.
To make orange juice with whiskey:
Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon
Graham Files, veteran bartender and co-owner of Someday in Portland, stocks Jim Beam in his well and recommends it for the home bar, praising its quality, price point, and versatility. Beam works well as a tall drink stretched with soda, a shot with a beer back, in mixed cocktails, and in hot drinks like toddies, he says.
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What Can I Mix With Flavored Whiskey
You can sub a flavored whiskey for a more traditional offering in pretty much any whiskey-based cocktail, and itll add a little extra something to it. Like, for example, The Simple American Sour cocktail.
Where is Bird Dog whiskey distilled?
Bardstown Bourbons current facility, which just started distilling in September 2016, has the capacity to produce 1.5 million proof gallons of whiskey annually, but that wont be enough for the growing company.
Club Soda And Whiskey
If you are drinking a high-quality whiskey and dont want a mixer that obscures its flavor, use club soda. It will make your whiskey taste more refreshing without dramatically affecting its flavor.
Another advantage of drinking whiskey and club soda is that it will dilute the alcoholic content of the spirit, giving you a smoother drink.
To make club soda with whiskey:
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More Tips For Making A Great John Collins
Bourbon is often preferred for the John Collins though it can be made with other styles of whiskey as well. Canadian, rye, and blended whiskeys are all popular options.
Irish whiskey is another possibility and you will want to be very selective if you want to use Scotch. A good blended Scotch may be best because it is a little more neutral than many of the other brands, particularly single malts.
In all ‘Collins’ drinks, there are two basic options for creating the sour component.
- Make it with fresh lemon juice and simple syrup as in the recipe above.
- Replace those two ingredients with a fresh-made sour mix .
To keep a nice balance in the drink, it really is best to use fresh-squeezed lemon juice. By separating the sweet and sour, you have more control. You’ll want that, especially as you experiment with whiskeys because you can adjust the two elements to fit the liquor you’re pouring at the moment.
Maple Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail
Looking for easy bourbon cocktail recipes to make for the holidays? This one is a winnernot only does it look festive with floating cranberries and a sprig of rosemary as a garnish, but this drink warms you from head to toe.
In fact, this is one of my go-to holiday cocktails for my friends and family at Bayberry house this season.
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Naughty But Nice Cocktail
This Christmas cocktail has a refreshing and delicious taste that will make your mouth water. Its made with orange juice, ginger syrup , and cranberry juice as well as club soda.
This drink is served over ice and garnished with orange slices and fresh cranberries. While this is a bourbon drink, you can even switch out booze if desired. Vodka and rye whiskey both work well in this cocktail.
What To Mix With Bourbon
Bourbon and coke is a classic for a reason. Bourbons caramel, sweet bite pairs exceptionally well with the sweet, effervescent, and slightly sour taste of coke. Its fast and easy to prepare.
Personally, I avoid diet coke and bourbon combined. The artificial taste of the drink overwhelms the flavor of the bourbon and combines in a way I find unappealing, but you know I always advocate mixing to your own flavor profile.
But what is great to add to bourbon for an easy two-ingredient cocktail? Juices, teas, sodas , and liqueurs. Anything with a flavor profile that matches the tastes found in a great whiskey will be a fabulous addition to a simple cocktail.
Ive laid out my favorites below. Some are classics, like bourbon and lemonade or bourbon with tea, but others may be new to you.
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Best Bourbon For A Manhattan
When it comes to a Bourbon Manhattan recipe, youll want a quality bourbon. Its a 2-ingredient drink , so the quality of the liquor is important. Bourbon is a specific type of American whiskey that is made from at least 51% corn and aged in oak barrels. It can be made anywhere in the US, but over 95% of the bourbon produced is made in Kentucky.
Whats the best bourbon for a Manhattan? No need to go with higher end craft and single-barrel bourbons, which are meant for sipping. A mid-range blended bourbon works well here, so look for anything in the $25 to $35 range for 750ml bottle. The top brands wed recommend are:
- $: Elijah Craig Small Batch
- $$: Four Roses Small Batch or Woodford Reserve
- $$$: Bulleit 10 Year Bourbon
Choosing The Right Bourbon
While there’s sure to be a debate about what the perfect bourbon is for the best whiskey sour recipe, I recommend either Jim Beam’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon or Elijah Craig offers a bottle of bourbon that is aged for 12 years for just $22. This is an absolute steal and it makes an excellent sipping whiskey, if you’re into that sort of thing. Elijah Craig is considered by many to be the best brand of bourbon available.
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Triple Sec Vs Cointreau
Triple Sec is often the orange liqueur used in a sidecar. But we recommend using Cointreau! Cointreau has a orange perfume flavor thats well balanced between bitter and sweet, while Triple Sec can be more harsh.
Whats Cointreau used in? So many great cocktails! Grab a bottle and you can make a long list of Cointreau drinks: the Classic Margarita , Cosmopolitan, Mimosa, and more.
Bourbon And Cream Soda
These two were made to go together. Cream sodas are full of sweet caramel and vanilla notes sometimes with added citrus , and adding bourbon to a glass full of cream soda over ice is delicious. I prefer using about 2 oz of bourbon per tall glass of iced cream soda.
Variation: To really up your game, add a ½ oz of cream or half and half to the glass and top with whipped cream and a cherry if you want to pretend youre sipping a creamy French soda. Again, we go over 2 ingredients, but if you try it, youll agree its worth it.
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Top The Bourbon Manhattan With A Luxardo Cherry
Its not really a classic cocktail until youve added a garnish, right? The classic garnish for a Manhattan is not just any cocktail cherry: its a Luxardo cherry. This type of cocktail cherry is so dark red, it almost looks black. The flavor? Complex, fruity, and nutty almost like amaretto.
Top this Bourbon Manhattan with a Luxardo cherry, and youre in business. Where to find Luxardo cherries? Its easiest to get them online but you can also find them at liquor stores.
Why Bourbon And Whiskey Cocktails
In cocktails, whiskey does a lot of heavy lifting, cuz its soooo taaaasty. Take bourbon for example a good bourbon packs a barrel full of flavor vanilla, oak, caramel, a bite of spice. Which means you dont need a lot to dress it up and make a great bourbon cocktail. Some of the best whiskey cocktails, like a manhattan, use only two or three ingredients.
So we put together a list of six very simple bourbon cocktails, as well as an upgraded Irish Coffee recipe and a change-of-pace rye whiskey cocktail . These drinks only call for a few ingredients, and dont require any mixers or liqueurs that you cant find at a grocery store. BONUS We added a simple way to make that simple syrup at home
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How To Drink Bourbon
This article was co-authored by Tom Blake. Tom Blake manages the bartending blog, craftybartending.com. He has been a bartender since 2012 and has written a book named The Bartender’s Field Manual.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 300,824 times.
Why Make This Whiskey Sour Recipe
I wasnt a whiskey sour fan until the drink was introduced to our family by Alexs step-father, Joe. Joe is 1,000% passionate about this sweet tart drink. When hes entertaining, hell always ask: Want a whiskey sour? So of course over the years, this drink has become the standard for festive family get-togethers.
In honor of Joes 50th birthday, we created this an all natural whiskey sour recipe as an alternative to the store-bought mix he usually buys. This recipe uses maple syrup and fresh lemon juice, and truly makes for the very best whiskey sour recipe! Joe started serving it often, and it was a hit with cousins, brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncle alike. Now when our family gets together, youll see a big jug of maple syrup and a ton of lemons on the counter. Want to try out our family recipe?
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Bourbon And Hard Seltzers
Asking yourself, Can I add bourbon to my hard seltzer? The answer is yes. As the latest craze in the ready-to-drink cocktail market, hard seltzers pack a light punch, but come in many different summer flavors. From lemon, orange, and watermelon to grapefruit, black cherry, and pomegranate you can boost your favorite hard seltzer with a shot of bourbon and some sliced fruit to garnish.
Choose a flavor that you love to combine with bourbon. Citrus and cherry flavors are a common pairing in cocktails with bourbon, so start there. Hard seltzers are low ABV usually 5-7% so 1.5 oz of bourbon is generally plenty to add to the drink.
I wont tell if you want to take a sip from the can first, then add in your bourbon, but it looks prettier served in a tall glass with a mint and fruit garnish.
How To Make A Bourbon Manhattan
This easy cocktail only takes a few minutes to make! The main thing to note about a Bourbon Manhattan is that is stirred, not shaken: so youll need a cocktail mixing glass.
- Stir together all ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass. Why not a shaker like most cocktails? A cocktail shaker dilutes the drink too much. When you have a spirit forward cocktail like a Manhattan or Martini, its mixed in a cocktail glass.
- Dont have one? You can definitely use any glass or container you like to mix the drink, then strain it into the serving glass. Or if you want to look like someone who knows their cocktails, grab yourself a cocktail mixing glass.
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Exploring The Collins Family
There are many ‘Collins’ drinks that vary due to the base liquor used and all of them are good drinks to memorize. To remember the difference between the John and Tom Collins, I think of “John” as the macho whiskey drinker and associate “Tom” with gin.
The vodka collins is an easy one to remember because the liquor of choice is right there in the name. Similarly, you can recall that the tequila collins has a tequila base.
The Collins formula is easy to remember:
Easy Bourbon Cocktails To Sip This Season
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If youve been a reader for any amount of time, you likely know that I enjoy a good cocktail every now and then. Lately, as the weather has started to chill, Ive found myself reaching for easy bourbon cocktails more and more.
Ill admit I wasnt always the biggest fan of bourbon drinks, but they have grown on me. While I still am learning to tolerate bourbon neat, I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy cocktails made with bourbon.
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Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whisky Bourbon
Hillrock Solera Aged Bourbon is the first bourbon to be aged using the solera system, a process that involves siphoning off younger liquid from the top of a pyramid of barrels and adding it to casks containing older liquid in the next tier down. The bourbon is then finished in Oloroso sherry casksfitting, since solera aging is most commonly associated with sherry production.
Kim picks this as her favorite bourbon to sip neat: High rye in the mash bill gives it spicy notes, the solera process gives it complexity, and the sherry cask adds flavors of dried fruit, raisins, plums, and nuts to bourbons more traditional caramel and vanilla notes.
The Evolution Of The Whiskey Sour Recipe
People have been experimenting with whiskey sour recipes since the late 1800s when the first one was poured in Wisconsin, but the practice of mixing “sour” drinks dates back to the 1700s.
It turns out that “yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum” didn’t just speak to the carefree lifestyle of sailors and pirates. Fresh fruit spoiled on long sea journeys and scurvy was a serious issue when sailors spent months at sea. To prevent scurvy, crews would squeeze lime and other fruit juices into their rum. The rum preserved the vitamin C, keeping the crew healthy and the lime juice made the rum taste sour. It didn’t take very long for sailors to start using sugar to sweeten the fruity rum, creating the key mixing philosophy that has made today’s whiskey sour recipe so popular.
the Boston sour
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