It doesn’t matter whether you’re a seasoned home bartender or you are just stepping your toes into the oceans of mixology, having a few basic drink recipes on hand for entertaining is a wonderful idea.
Bourbon is a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. Here are 5 basic cocktail recipes to try yourself:
Whiskey Sour
This is as simple as it gets: it’s like a comfort beverage.
Grab your cocktail shaker, throw in a handful of ice, and two shots of bourbon whiskey. Add 2 shots of lemon juice, a teaspoon of sugar, and shake it up. Strain it into your glass, add a slice of orange, then enjoy.
Ginger Highball
You don’t need a fancy highball glass, it’s just part of the name.
Fill the glass with ice, squeeze a lemon slice over the ice, then toss it in the glass. Pour 2 shots of bourbon on the ice, then fill your glass to the top with ginger ale.
7 & 7
The title relates to two specific ingredients (Seagrams 7 and 7-Up), but it’s safe to improvise.
Fill your glass with ice, pour 1-2 shots of bourbon over the ice, and fill with 7-Up, Sprite, Sierra Mist, or something similar. It’s really hard to mess this one up!
Old Fashioned
It’s a classic that everyone should try once.
Put 1 tsp of sugar in your glass cover it up with a couple of dashes of bitters. Pour in 1-2 shots of bourbon, then add your ice, and stir. Finish it off with a garnish of cherry or orange.
Pineapple Bourbon
For a summer bourbon cocktail, this is top-notch.
Muddle some fresh pineapple chunks in your cocktail shaker to create a chunky juice. Pour your bourbon (1-2 shots) into your glass, then add ice, and top with your chunky pineapple juice. Give it a stir and add mint sprigs as a garnish, if you’d like.
Bourbon is America’s only native spirit and it’s the only product in the world to which you cannot legally add colors or additives. Its rich golden color is only created by water, the barrel, and the grains that fermented it. Bourbon is a delicious piece of American history, so try it out. You might like it.
Fun fact: Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail lets you explore the spirit’s history, how it’s made and how it tastes.
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