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Favorite Bourbon Cocktails Users Love Most

favorite bourbon cocktails

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Favorite Bourbon Cocktails Users Love Most

Users recommend the Paper Plane, Gold Rush, and Boulevardier as their favorite bourbon cocktails because these drinks deliver balanced flavors and work well with a range of bourbons.

The Boulevardier is a Negroni with bourbon swapped in for gin, giving you a mix of sweet, bitter, and strong flavors in one glass. The Paper Plane uses equal parts bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, and lemon juice, which users call perfectly balanced and delicious. The Gold Rush is a whiskey sour with honey, combining bourbon, lemon juice, and honey syrup.

For refreshing options, users like the Kentucky Mule, which puts bourbon in place of vodka in a Moscow Mule with ginger beer and lime juice, often served with mint in a copper mug. The Mint Julep is a warm weather classic made with bourbon, fresh mint, and simple syrup. The Whiskey Smash is a good starting point for people new to bourbon cocktails, and you can add blackberries for a summer twist.

When picking a bourbon for cocktails, users suggest going with higher proof bottles around 100 proof or bottled-in-bond. The extra alcohol helps the bourbon punch through the other ingredients. Wild Turkey 101 is a popular mixer because its higher proof and mild spice carry good flavor into drinks.

Users recommend avoiding expensive high-end bourbons for cocktails. The subtle nuances of a premium whiskey get lost when mixed with other ingredients, so save those bottles for sipping neat and use something stronger and more affordable for mixing.

Top bourbon cocktails

  1. Boulevardier A Negroni with bourbon instead of gin, balancing sweet, bitter, and strong flavors.
  2. Paper Plane Equal parts bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, and lemon juice for a balanced drink.
  3. Gold Rush A whiskey sour with honey, made with bourbon, lemon juice, and honey syrup.
  4. Kentucky Mule Bourbon, ginger beer, and lime juice, often served with mint in a copper mug.
  5. Mint Julep Bourbon, fresh mint, and simple syrup for a refreshing warm weather drink.
  6. Whiskey Smash A good starter bourbon cocktail, especially with blackberries added for summer.
Favorite Bourbon Cocktails Users Love Most — infographic
Boulevardier: This cocktail is essentially a Negroni with bourbon or whiskey swapped in for gin, offering a balance of sweet, bitter, and boozy flavors. "Le Boulevardier!"
Paper Plane: A balanced and delicious cocktail made with equal parts bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, and lemon juice. "Perfectly balanced and just delicious"
Gold Rush: Often described as a whiskey sour with honey, it combines bourbon, lemon juice, and honey syrup. "Gold Rush is a good one - bourbon, lemon, honey."

Refreshing Options

Kentucky Mule: This is a bourbon take on the Moscow Mule, featuring bourbon, ginger beer, and lime juice, often served with mint in a copper mug. "Kentucky mule: bourbon, ginger beer, and lime juice"
Mint Julep: A classic for warm weather, made with bourbon, fresh mint, and simple syrup, providing a refreshing experience. "Mint Julep... Nice and refreshing while grilling a steak in the heat of spring/summer."
Whiskey Smash: This cocktail is a good entry for those new to bourbon cocktails, especially with additions like blackberries for a summer twist. "Add blackberries for an amazing summer taste."

Bourbon Selection for Cocktails

Higher Proof Bourbons: Users often suggest using bourbons with higher proof (around 100 proof or bottled-in-bond) for cocktails, as their flavor stands out more. "The nuances of a high end whiskey are going to get lost in a cocktail, but the higher proof helps it punch through."
Wild Turkey 101: Many Users consider Wild Turkey 101 a strong choice for mixing due to its higher proof and mild spice notes, which carry well in cocktails. "I would argue that WT101 is a better overall mixer for cocktails due to the higher proof and flavor profile (mildly spicy) making it carry more flavor into drinks."
Avoid High-End Whiskeys: It's generally recommended not to use expensive, high-end bourbons for cocktails, as their subtle nuances can be lost when mixed with other ingredients. "The nuances of a high end whiskey are going to get lost in a cocktail, but the higher proof helps it punch through."

Would you like to explore recipes for any of these bourbon cocktails?

Bottom line

Users frequently recommend Paper Plane, Gold Rush, and Boulevardier as favorite bourbon cocktails, often highlighting their balanced flavors and versatility.

Community answers 29

What others in the community said:

Margarita. In place of the tequila, I use two oz. of bourbon. I substitute 1oz. bourbon for the triple sec, and instead of lime juice, I use bourbon, which rounds out the flavor.

Mint Julep and whiskey sour leap to mind, but if you’re on the Bourbon Trail, you’re gonna want to enjoy a lot of those bourbons straight. Nothing wrong with a good bourbon cocktail in any season, but when you’re at the source, you have the opportunity to taste some stuff you can only taste there, so I think the less you mess with it, the better. Besides, my personal opinion is that any cocktail recipe that calls for bourbon almost always comes out better if you use rye. Most bourbon lends itself more to sippin’ than mixin’.

94% upvoted

I enjoy my Old Fashioneds and neat pours as much as anyone here but I'm looking to mix things up a little. What other ways do you enjoy your bourbon?

Edit: Y'all really came through, thanks for all the recommendations! I'm off to get shitfaced lol

Whiskey Sour: bourbon, lemon juice, egg white, simple syrup, bitters. Dry shake, then regular shake, and enjoy.

Kentucky Buck! It’s essentially a mule with ginger beer, strawberries and bourbon - it’s amazing.

It’s fruity, a little spicy, cold and bubbly effervescent.

Gold rush

2 oz bourbon

Juice of Half a lemon

1/2 oz honey syrup

  • Optional top off with soda water
93% upvoted

Hey there! I have a bachelor party this summer that I’m going to, and we’re gonna go to a few distilleries on the KY bourbon trail, and I wanna make the fellas some delightful cocktails that have bourbon as the main event. As I understand, bourbon tends to lend itself towards fall/winter vibes and cocktails of that nature, so if you could recommend any of your favorite cocktails that are more spring/summer vibes, it would be most appreciated!

Manhattan or boulevardier. Depends on how much spice and bitterness I want.

Paper Plane - 1 Oz Bourbon - 1 Oz Amaro Nonino - 1 Oz Aperol - 1 Oz Lemon Juice

Perfectly balanced and just delicious

Gold Rush is a good one - bourbon, lemon, honey.

86% upvoted

Beyond drinking it neat, what cocktails have you had that really elevated the bourbon?

If you have a recipe I'd love to see it!

For mixing there should be more ~100 proof and bottled-in-bond options. WT 101, Old Grandad 101, etc.

The nuances of a high end whiskey are going to get lost in a cocktail, but the higher proof helps it punch through.

Sazerac: absinthe rinsed glass, rye, peychaud bitters, simple syrup, lemon twist

Mint Julep... Nice and refreshing while grilling a steak in the heat of spring/summer.

I feel like they’re all in the same price range though? A 750 of WT101 is $23ish near me and I can get EC at $28 regularly. That’s not that big of a difference. At standard pricing, all bottles you’ve listed are $22-30 and readily available (minus Buffalo trace.)

I would argue that WT101 is a better overall mixer for cocktails due to the higher proof and flavor profile (mildly spicy) making it carry more flavor into drinks. I’ve noticed EC doesn’t stand up as well, and Buffalo trace/makers/larceny are smooth enough that they all get a little lost in any drink that isn’t an old fashioned. Specifically for old fashioneds, I would use Buffalo trace and EC out of that list.

The 80 proof wild Turkey is kind of crap though.

Boulevardier. Simply one of the best simple cocktails you can make IMO. Bourbon:Campari:Vermouth 2:1:1.

Being out in the desert and the average high being at least 100 degrees lately, I've discovered a love of highballs.

  • 2 Oz of your favorite whiskey
  • Fill glass with ice
  • If using bourbon - fill glass with ginger ale
  • If using scotch or Japanese whiskey - fill glass with seltzer, soda water, or sparkling water.
  • Garnish with lime or lemon

Super simple and great on a hot night in a pool.

Haven't tried it yet, but likely will whip up a batch of this over the weekend:

86% upvoted

What are your favorite bourbon cocktails? Like many of you, I have a few bottles that are not so good neat. I’m trying to find some ways to keep them useful by mixture. Tonight I tried a Godfather, and it wasn’t bad. I’ve previously mixed lemonade with good results as well. What are some others to try?

Kentucky mule:

bourbon

ginger beer

lime juice

mint

must serve in copper mug over ice

I have no set amounts of the liquids. I always just wing it.

Add blackberries for an amazing summer taste.

89% upvoted

Besides the classic old fashion and Manhattan.

- Paper Plane: A balanced and delicious cocktail made with equal parts bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, and lemon juice.
- Gold Rush: Often described as a whiskey sour with honey, it combines bourbon, lemon juice, and honey syrup.
### Refreshing Options
- Kentucky Mule: This is a bourbon take on the Moscow Mule, featuring bourbon, ginger beer, and lime juice, often served with mint in a copper mug.
- Mint Julep: A classic for warm weather, made with bourbon, fresh mint, and simple syrup, providing a refreshing experience.
- Whiskey Smash: This cocktail is a good entry for those new to bourbon cocktails, especially with additions like blackberries for a summer twist.
### Bourbon Selection for Cocktails
- Higher Proof Bourbons: Users often suggest using bourbons with higher proof (around 100 proof or bottled-in-bond) for cocktails, as their flavor stands out more.
- Wild Turkey 101: Many Users consider Wild Turkey 101 a strong choice for mixing due to its higher proof and mild spice notes, which carry well in cocktails.
- Avoid High-End Whiskeys: It's generally recommended not to use expensive, high-end bourbons for cocktails, as their subtle nuances can be lost when mixed with other ingredients.

Related questions

What bourbon is best for mixing cocktails?
Users recommend higher proof bourbons around 100 proof or bottled-in-bond for cocktails. Wild Turkey 101 is a popular choice because its proof and mild spice carry flavor well into mixed drinks.
Should you use expensive bourbon in cocktails?
No. Users say the nuances of a high-end whiskey get lost when mixed with other ingredients. You are better off saving expensive bottles for sipping and using a higher proof, more affordable bourbon for cocktails.
What is a Paper Plane cocktail?
The Paper Plane is a bourbon cocktail made with equal parts bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, and lemon juice. Users describe it as perfectly balanced and delicious.

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