11 Bourbon Drink Recipes to Warm the Soul

Looking for recipe inspiration for cocktails that use bourbon? We've got you covered with 11 of our favorite bourbon cocktail recipes to get you through the colder months and beyond.

By
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a planner specializing in transportation, but has also been a photojournalist, writer, and editor for several online and print publications.
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Updated October 26, 2018
Jennifer Hess

As much as I love lighter spirits like gin and tequila, when fall hits, it's whiskey that finds its way into my glass more often than not. That could mean a spicy rye or a peaty Scotch, but today we're sticking with the booze that got me into whiskey in the first place: bourbon.

Sweet, oaky, and relatively mild, bourbon is at home in all sorts of cocktails. Whether you're in the mood for a spirit-forward Old Fashioned, a honey-sweetened Bee's Knees variation, or a citrusy grapefruit sipper, we've got 11 recipes to keep you drinking and loving bourbon right through spring. (Of course, we also have you covered if you want some other whiskey drink recipes.)

  • Old Fashioned

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    How to Make an Old Fashioned

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    Serious Eats Team

    Perhaps no cocktail better showcases good whiskey than an Old Fashioned. Because it's made with nothing more than bourbon, sugar, and bitters (plus an orange or cherry garnish, of course), whatever spirit you use will come through in force, so make it a good one. While it's trendy nowadays to make the drink with spicy rye, bourbon is traditional and provides a slightly sweeter backdrop. If you've got company coming, Old Fashioneds are great to make in big batches—check out this recipe, which is designed expressly for that purpose.

  • Boulevardier

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    Vicky Wasik

    The Boulevardier is like an autumnal cousin to the Negroni, replacing the gin with whiskey (either bourbon or rye) to complement the sweet vermouth and Campari. That substitution brings a huge change, turning a usually lean, bright cocktail richer and more complex. A Negroni may be good any time of year, but a Boulevardier will seem especially apt as the temperature drops if you want an elegant, dependable drink to warm you from the inside.

  • Mint Julep

    Vicky Wasik

    Even if Derby Day seems far away, there's no reason to wait to enjoy a frosty, refreshing mint julep, especially if summer tends to linger where you live. Using a mix or an artificially flavored syrup will put you on the fast track to ruining your julep; if you want to make it right, you have to use fresh mint—gently muddled, not smashed to death, to avoid releasing the herb's bitter flavors. For something a little different, try our chocolate variation, made with a good-quality crème de cacao instead of simple syrup.

  • Hot Caramel-Popcorn Bourbon Apple Cider

    Vicky Wasik

    When it's numbingly cold out, you can't go wrong pouring a nip of warmth-giving bourbon into a mug of hot apple cider. In this recipe, we make that classic pairing even better by steeping the bourbon with caramel popcorn, giving the drink a nutty, toasty flavor. Because all popcorn needs butter, we float a pat on top of the finished cocktail.

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  • Bittersweet Amaro- and Whiskey-Spiked Coffee

    Vicky Wasik

    This rich spiked coffee walks the line between sweet and savory by pairing bourbon and crème de cacao with caramelly, bittersweet Averna and herbal Gran Classico—and, of course, hot coffee. If you find the drink a little too sweet as is, just add more coffee for extra bitterness. Plain, unsweetened whipped cream is a fine garnish; for a more unusual touch, try flavoring it with a little extra Gran Classico.

  • Gold Rush

    Jennifer Hess

    The Gold Rush is similar to the Bee's Knees—a mix of gin, lemon, and honey—but with high-proof bourbon in place of gin, resulting in a drink that tastes like a more complex version of a whiskey sour. While other varieties will work, I find that intense buckwheat honey stands up best to the bourbon.

  • Triple Crown (Whiskey Sour Cocktail With Amaro)

    Vicky Wasik

    Another elevated take on the whiskey sour, this one gets its flavor from citrusy Montenegro Amaro and grapefruit-scented pamplemousse liqueur. The sweetness of the pamplemousse nicely complements the vanilla in the bourbon, while the amaro provides just enough bitterness for balance.

  • Moto Guzzi

    Vicky Wasik

    This strong, dark sipper requires just two ingredients: Booker's Bourbon and Punt e Mes vermouth. Booker's is bottled at 120-plus proof, so it's capable of standing up to the bitter vermouth in a 1:1 ratio. You can also use a lower-proof (and cheaper) bourbon, like Jim Beam Black, but you might need to use a 2:1 ratio to keep the bitterness in check.

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  • Turkey and Sage Cocktail

    Autumn Giles

    This cocktail drinks like Thanksgiving in a glass, thanks to pumpkin, sage, and turkey—or, rather, Wild Turkey 101 bourbon. It's not just the pun that led us in that direction: Wild Turkey's caramel and vanilla notes make it a natural match for pumpkin, and its high proof helps it stand up to the woodsy sage.

  • Pomegranate Bourbon Cocktail

    Kelly Carámbula

    This drink incorporates pomegranate in two different forms: tart molasses and fresh juice. Mixing in fresh-squeezed orange juice adds some necessary sweetness to an otherwise tart cocktail. There are enough strong flavors mingling here that you can use any decent bourbon—don't feel the need to break out the top-shelf liquor.

  • Maple Bourbon Eggnog

    J. Kenji López-Alt

    Who says eggnog is suitable only for Christmastime, especially when it's this tasty? The eggnog itself is a fairly standard formula, but it gets extra depth from maple syrup. What really sets this apart, though, is the crispy bacon-strip garnish, which plays well with the sweet maple—sprinkle on bacon bits, too, if you want to get crazy with it.

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