The Best Whiskey Mixers
Whiskey is known for its complex depth of flavor, and can always be enjoyed neat. But when paired with other ingredients, its versatility really comes out. Whiskey can be sweet, spicy, savory, or smoky and often a good mixer can help it shine.
Granted, some mixers may suit the personalities of one kind of whiskey more than another what pairs great with a peppery rye may clash with a sweeter bourbon so feel free to check out our guides to get a sense of a particular whiskey styles character. As always, some experimentation may be in order to find what suits your taste best.
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As for what mixers to choose, we polled the VinePair team for a rundown of the best, from old favorites to bolder choices. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but think of it as a foolproof guide when youre looking for easy cocktail inspiration.
Here are six of the best mixers for whiskey:
Enjoying Whiskey Straight Or Neat
The next time you have a glass of whiskey, resist the urge to immediately toss ice into it. Youll find that many whiskeys are greatly enhanced by ice, but youd be doing yourself a disservice if you dont at least try the whiskey neat.
Before I got into the hospitality game, I would usually order a whiskey neat when I went out, says Tardie, recommending neat whiskey for those who enjoy the taste of alcohol. I would refer to my whiskey as a single-ingredient cocktail.
If you find that you dont like your whiskey neat, thats totally fine. With the high alcohol content and bold flavor profiles, a glass of straight whiskey can be like a slap in the face to your taste buds. In order to get more of a warm hug experience, why not try adding a little water?
Apple Cider And Whiskey
Apple cider is a fantastic mixer for bourbon whiskey as it adds plenty of acidity, tartness, and freshness to a drink.
The zesty flavor of apple cider complements the vanilla and caramel flavors in the whiskey beautifully.
While apple cider and whiskey is usually consumed on ice, it can also be heated, which makes for a very comforting drink in the cooler months.
To make apple cider with whiskey:
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Using Basic Simple Syrup In Cocktails
Many classic and modern cocktails call for simple syrup. Most commonly, it’s used in sours, which are cocktails that are made with a sour ingredient such as lemon juice or lime juice, a sweet ingredient , and a strong ingredient . When using basic simple syrup in a sour, use the following ratio:
- 1 part sour
- 1 part simple syrup or cordial
- 2 parts strong
Shake sours in a cocktail shaker with ice and then strain them into the appropriate cocktail glass , and finish with the appropriate garnish. You’ll see this ratio in action in a number of cocktails including:
- Whiskey sour
What Is The Best Thing To Mix With Scotch
The 6 Best Mixers for Scotch That Arent Soda Amaretto. If its good enough for Marlon Brando, its good enough for you. Apple Cider. Plenty of complex scotch cocktails incorporate some sort of apple mixer along with other ingredients, but all you need to drink well on a lazy day is apple cider. Drambuie.
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What To Mix With Crown Apple Whiskey
Crown Whiskey Cocktail: If you have never tried the combination of apple, whiskey, and cranberry juice, then it is a must-try. It is to revive your taste buds and let us enjoy it the whole night, sip by sip.
Procedure: Add crown royal whiskey into a glass, pour some cranberry juice, and then use some apple slices to garnish the drink. Easy right?Yeah! Make one now and take a sip.
A Complete Well Drink List: 19 Essential Recipes
Well drinks range in flavor and complexity. Some are simple one-liquor-one-soda combinations while others are more complex . While experienced bartenders will have a well drinks list and recipes committed to memory, new bartenders may need some guidance. Heres a list of 19 essential well drinks and their recipe information to get the party started.
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The Luck Of The Irish Is In These Flavorful Whiskey Drinks
The Spruce Eats / S& C Design Studios
Irish whiskey is smooth and creates impressive drinks. Whether its St. Patricks Day or youre simply a fan of this style of whiskey, there are many great cocktail recipes to try.
While there are tried and true favorites like the Irish coffee, Irish whiskey is surprisingly versatile. From refreshing highballs to short sour drinks, and fancy martinis to fruity delights, its time to rethink whats possible with Irish whiskey.
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What Soda To Mix With Whiskey
Made by aging fermented and distilled grains in wooden barrels, whiskey has been the drink of choice for centuries.
For whiskey lovers, theres nothing better than kicking back with a good glass of scotch, rye, or bourbon.
While some people enjoy the drink neat or on the rocks, others prefer cutting it with a mixer.
In this article, we explore the best soda to mix with whiskey.
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Guide: 10 Classic Cocktails
Cocktail menus vary depending on where youre ordering. A chain restaurant might offer one or two recognizable cocktails plus a few wild innovations that may taste a lot like fruit punch or a chocolate milkshake . Serious cocktail bars, on the other hand, might have just a few options, many of them unrecognizablecocktails invented by the bartenders on staff that are no doubt delicious but maybe harder to compare to anything youve had.
Fortunately theres a lot of middle ground, familiar drinks that exist pretty much anywhere a bar is decently stocked. And, of course, these days a lot of cocktail bars are eager to guide you to the right choice , either with cocktail menus arranged by style or by encouraging an old school interaction between patron and bartender. A bespoke cocktail bar is actually built around this model, with cocktails made to order per guest preference.
But even if service is a lot more interactive these days, its always helpful to go out there with a rough knowledge of cocktail classics for reference. Not only are these drinks among the standards that any bartender knows, but if you like something about any of them, you can probably find something similar, or construct something new with the help of your local barkeep:
Popular Spirits
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Begin Exploring The World Of Great Whiskey Drinks
The Spruce / Claire Cohen
The world of whiskey is vast and constantly expanding. Likewise, the list of great whiskey cocktails continues to grow. There are, however, a few tried and true recipes that are essential to creating a well-rounded whiskey experience.
These drinks showcase the versatility of whiskey. They include some of the most popular whiskey cocktails that enthusiasts have enjoyed for decades . It is a perfect list for the beginner to explore everything possible with whiskey.
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Don’t Forget The Bitters
Aromatic bitters have long been the preferred accent for the Manhattan and it should be considered a required ingredient. Since we use just a few dashes at a time, it can be easy to forget their importance. However, they are the finishing touch that brings cocktails like the Manhattan into perfect balance. There are a number of new bitters available today and you might want to explore their effects on your perfect Manhattan mix.
Dr Pepper Or Cherry Coca
I have decided to add both of these to the same section because, in my experience, Dr pepper and cherry coke can taste very similar.
Im not recommending these as a substitute for Coca-Cola or Pepsi in fact, these two mixers make for great mixers on their own.
If you want to try something new and you want to add different flavors to a whiskey drink, I highly recommend trying the Dr pepper or Cherry Coca-Cola mixers at least once.
Not only will these two drinks add a different dynamic in terms of flavor, but they will also hide the harsh undertones of certain whiskeys.
How To Make A Dr. Pepper And Whiskey drink
- 2 shots of whiskey in a long glass
- Lots of ice
- Top it up with Dr. Pepper.
- Add a cherry on top.
- Do not stir it and if you do, make sure you do it lightly.
How To Make A Cherry Coke And Whiskey Drink
- 2 shots of whiskey in a long glass
- Lots of ice
- Top it up with Cherry Coke.
- Add a cherry on top as an added touch.
- Do not stir it and if you do, make sure you do it lightly.
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Peach Juice And Whiskey
This fruity, spicy, and refreshing combination is ideal for a warm summer afternoon. The sweetness of the peach is balanced by the oak and malty flavors of the whiskey.
You can make peach juice and whiskey using the same formula as apple cider and whiskey. You can also enjoy peach juice and whiskey by making a Bourbon Peach Smash:
The Best Fireball Whisky Cocktail Recipes
Love it or hate it, Fireball is a force in the beverage space. Its spicy cinnamon flavor is instantly recognizable and has captured the hearts and palates of Americans and Canadians alike. Since its uptick in popularity in the 2010s, Fireball has found its way into Disney World desserts, Thanksgiving staples, and cocktails of all sorts.
From summery beverages paired best with oceanside adventures to winter sippers to warm you from the inside out, read on for 12 of the best Fireball Whisky cocktails updated for 2021!
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Using Rich Simple Syrup In Cocktails
If you’re using rich simple syrup, add half the amount called for in the cocktail. So for a basic sour, the ratio will be:
- 1 part simple syrup
- 2 parts sour
- 4 parts strong .
This ratio works whether you’re making a single cocktail or creating mixed drinks by the batch. The cocktail volume will be a little less, but the flavors will be more intense.
The History Of The Whiskey Sour
The recipe for a Whiskey Sour first appeared in print in 1862, in a book called The Bartenders Guide by Jerry Thomas. But according to some cocktail historians, sailors invented the Whiskey Sour!
In the past, sailors were given an allowance for spirits and citrus . Put them together add a little sugar, and you have a Whiskey Sour!
Its also possible that the Whiskey Sour is just a scaled-down version of a punch, designed to serve just one. Punches predate cocktails by quite a while, but if you look at old punch recipes, youll notice the basic structure of a Whiskey Sour: base spirit, citrus, and sweetener.
However the Whiskey Sour came to be, when you drink one, you can be sure youre part of a long and proud tradition!
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Ginger Ale Or Ginger Beer
Ginger ale is a refreshing drink that pairs well with Jameson Whiskey. I
t adds a lovely zing and sweetness to the flavor of a drink and helps some of the floral notes of the whiskey shine.
If you want to try a ginger mixer with Jameson, try this simple Jameson, Ginger & Lime cocktail:
Why Is Crown Royal So Popular
Its perceived as an upmarket whisky yet is affordable for most people. Much of this is due to branding, some is simply due to its price point. Its a little more expensive than most of the other popular brands so it separates itself from most other available whiskies in the eyes of the person looking at the shelf.
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Scotch Fans Have A Lot To Love In This List Of Cocktails Both Modern And Classic
Liquor.com / Tim Nusog
The first half of this list is bartenders choice cocktails, contemporary creations that come straight from the cocktail shakers of todays top bartenders. The second half is classics, both pre-Prohibition standards and more modern ones that have achieved worldwide acclaim. Youre sure to find something for every palate among these 20 drinks.
Known for its status as the ultimate neat sipper, Scotch whisky is surprisingly versatile in cocktails, too, when paired with the right ingredients. Whether youre keeping it simple with a Scotch & Soda, looking to try something new and fruity like the Cunningham or want a spin on a classic like the Whisky in Church, theres a scotch cocktail to please every drinkers wishes.
A Real Boost: Jim Beam And Monster Energy Drink
Bourbon has an air of the quiet drinker about it, its not a party alcohol in the same vein as tequila or vodka, but it absolutely can be!
All you need to transform it into something that will get the party started the right way, is a good mixer, and we have just the solution in the form of the turbocharged Monster energy drink.
To make this invigorating mixed drink, pour 2 parts Jim Beam Bourbon to 3 parts of Monster energy drink, or your preferred brand, into an old fashioned glass over ice, and serve
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Which Scotch Is The Smoothest
Best Smooth Scotch Johnnie Walker Red Label. Grangestone 12 Yr Single Malt Scotch Whisky . Balvenie 12 Yr Double Wood. Carlyle Blended Scotch Whisky . Shieldaig Speyside Single Malt 12Yr. Johnnie Walker Double Black. Glen Ness Single Malt Scotch Whisky . 4.0 / 5 stars Grangestone Sherry Finish. 4.0 / 5 stars
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How The Rob Roy Came To Be
While Rob Roy is an iconic outlaw figure in Scottish history, this specific drink isn’t actually Scottish and originated at the bar of the famous Waldorf Hotel. According to Primer Magazine, the drink was inspired by a play detailing Rob Roy’s exploits that was performing on Broadway at the time. In particular, the drink is interesting because it marks a moment when blended scotch was first made available in the United States, and as with many of the Waldorf’s cocktail creations, the Rob Roy has remained a popular cocktail among drink enthusiasts.
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Understanding The Difference Between Sweet And Dry Vermouth
If your basic cocktail recipe was a party, it would work something like this: a bottle of gin, tequila, or whiskey actually throws the party big-mouth guests like Campari, mint, and Absinthe make a lot of noise around the karaoke machine and bottles of vermouth dry and sweet bring a bunch of snacks but end up hanging out quietly on the couch for most of the night. A reliable guest, but no party animal.
Thats not to say vermouth isnt interesting. If you sit down next to vermouth at the party, youre almost guaranteed to have a complex, layered conversation despite the fact that Campari just cued up the Les Mis soundtrack on the Karaoke Master 3000. Vermouth is actually incredibly generous with flavor, but its complexity makes it more of a backbone/background component to cocktails . And that applies whether youre talking about sweet or dry vermouth.
Of course, chances are youre not talking about sweet or dry vermouth, precisely because theyre background players. Sure, you might see vermouths splayed across cocktail menus, and youre maybe vaguely aware that theyre key supporting players in some of your favorite classic cocktails . But youre probably not discussing the merits of sweet vs. dry vs. white vermouth with your imbibing friends the same way you might discuss oaky Chardonnay or hyper-hopped IPA.
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What Are Good Whiskey Mixers
When it comes to whiskey drinks, you can pull out all the stops and make some pretty fantastic cocktails. Sometimes, though, you want to keep it simple with a single mixer . If that low-key approach is more your style, weve got a dozen different mixers you can stir up with your whiskey for a great basic drink.
Ginger beer + lime
Moscow Mules are one of our favorite classic cocktailsespecially when served in a pretty copper mug. You can use the same proportions as your favorite mule recipe and sub in whiskey or bourbon for vodka. If youre using bourbon, its commonly known as a Kentucky Mule if its Irish whiskey, thatd be an Irish Mule.
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