Whiskey Cocktails
Whiskey is the base where the bottle changes the drink the most: the same recipe built with a high-rye bourbon, a soft wheated bourbon or a peated Scotch gives three different cocktails. Here are our whiskey drinks and the bottle each one wants.
Every drink below lists bourbon, rye, Scotch or whiskey among its ingredients.
Bitter Truth
Blood and Sand
Boulevardier
Bourbon Smash
Bourbon Sour
Bourbon Sour with Egg White
Manhattan
Mint Julep
Old Fashioned
Sazerac
Whiskey Sour
Which whiskey for which drink
Bourbon, rye, Scotch. Bourbon is at least 51% corn, aged in new charred oak, and tastes of vanilla, caramel and sweet grain. Rye is at least 51% rye: drier, spicier, and the classic choice for a Manhattan. Scotch brings malt and, in Islay bottlings, peat smoke — brilliant in a Blood and Sand, too loud for a delicate sour.
Proof, ABV and water. Proof is simply twice the ABV, so 80 proof is 40% ABV, the legal minimum for straight whiskey in the US. Barrel-proof bottlings run 55–65% ABV: they carry more flavour but need a splash of water or a longer stir over ice, or the alcohol burns straight through the sugar and the bitters.
Dilution is an ingredient. A stirred Old Fashioned gains roughly 20% of its final volume as water from the ice, and that is what opens up the aromatics. Build it in the glass over one large cube and stir for 20–30 seconds rather than pouring it onto crushed ice, which dilutes the drink past saving within minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Bourbon or rye for an Old Fashioned?
Both are correct and they taste different: bourbon gives a rounder, sweeter drink, rye a drier, spicier one with a peppery finish. Try them once with the same syrup and bitters — the difference is bigger than most bottle upgrades.
Why does a Whiskey Sour have egg white?
Egg white adds a silky texture and a foam cap that holds the bitters dots. It changes no flavour and can be left out, but the drink will look flat; aquafaba is the usual vegan substitute.
How strong is a whiskey cocktail?
An Old Fashioned with 60 ml of 40% whiskey plus water and syrup lands near 30% ABV, roughly two standard drinks. A Whiskey Sour with lemon and egg white is closer to 20%.
Other collections
Same library, grouped by what is in the glass.