If you love bourbon or want to love bourbon, here are some great recipes for bourbon-based cocktails to try at home.
The Manhattan
With a name like Manhattan, this better be a good cocktail. The thing is, it isn’t. It’s a great one. If you like whiskey - specifically bourbon or rye - this is the drink for you. It’s an absolute classic, and just about any bartender should be able to make a decent one. There are also plenty of variations you can stumble into by switching up one or two of the ingredients - but we’re going to walk you through how to make a standard version, so that you can one day offer your dinner guests or the person fixing your wifi router a casual, elegant Manhattan.
How It Tastes: Strong, Rich, Pretty Much Like Whiskey
Drink If You Like:Old Fashioned, Rob Roy
Old Fashioned
One of the first-ever cocktails, the Old Fashioned has been around since Tchaikovsky was writing the Nutcracker Suite. And, surprisingly, it hasn’t changed all that much. For a proper Old Fashioned, you just need three ingredients: sugar, bourbon, and Angostura bitters.
How To Make An Old Fashioned →
Maple Old Fashioned
The Maple Old Fashioned is an Infatuation original, and it owes its existence to the fact that, as a bartender, I used to work a lot of brunch shifts. During those shifts, there were always little ramekins of maple syrup lying around, and one day, after making my 10,000th Bloody Mary, I decided to do an experiment. Instead of the white sugar or simple syrup I’d typically use in an Old Fashioned, I added a bit of maple syrup.
How To Make A Maple Old Fashioned→
New York Sour
Like many other classic cocktails, the origin of the New York Sour is nebulous, although it may have been invented in 19th-century Chicago (and was later renamed by a New Yorker, presumably). The thing is, this is pretty much a Whiskey Sour, but with one key difference: a red wine float.
The Gold Rush
One thing you should know is that you can substitute honey syrup for simple syrup in just about any cocktail. And once you do that, the honey syrup cocktail usually gets a different, better name than the original. So, a Gold Rush is nearly identical to a Whiskey Sour - just a little more complex. The honey brings a new dimension to the drink, which may make you want to lie in a field surrounded by flowers while someone pours several of these cocktails in your mouth.
How It Tastes: Tart, Rich, Like A Bourbon-Soaked Meadow
Drink If You Like: Whiskey Sours, Penicillins
The Boulevardier
A Boulevardier is just a Negroni with whiskey instead of gin, and it’s a first-ballot Cocktail Hall Of Famer. It’s a little smoother than the classic version, and, much like the original, you have to put in some serious effort if you want to mess it up.
How It Tastes: Strong, Bitter, Like A Good Novel That’s Drinkable
Drink If You Like: Negronis, Manhattans
The Paper Plane
Sometimes you need to feel things out before deciding what kind of night it is - whether you want to stay up until 4am, or operate some heavy machinery before going to bed at a decent hour. In this situation, the Paper Plane is your ideal cocktail. It’s reasonably strong - but (probably) won’t result in you texting your ex an epistolary novel full of Adele quotes with a bit of Usher thrown in.
How It Tastes: Light, Tart, Refreshing
Drink If You Like:Aperol Spritz, Whiskey Sour
Suggested Reading
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