The Most Popular Cocktails That Use Whiskey

Learning where your favorite cocktails come from can be a thrilling ride. From small whiskey barrels all the way to your favorite bar and into your favorite drink, whiskey certainly can travel a long way! Let’s take a look at some of the most popular cocktails that use whiskey.

Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is probably one of the most well-known whiskey cocktails in the world. Its simplicity and class make it one of the most popular cocktails around. There are only four ingredients in an Old Fashioned: sugar, bitters, water, and whiskey. It’s about as simple as a cocktail gets, give or take the orange peel garnish that often accompanies it. If you really want to make this one by the books, make sure that you’re stirring, not shaking. It’s also important that this is served on the rocks. You can also use whiskey accessories like whiskey stones to keep your drink cold without watering it down at all.

Manhattan

The Manhattan is another classic whiskey cocktail. The prevailing theory about this cocktail’s origin is that it was crafted in the Manhattan club in New York City during the early 1870s at a banquet thrown by Winston Churchill’s mother. Whether or not that’s true, this cocktail is an instant classic. To make a Manhattan, you’ll need whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters, and a maraschino cherry for garnish. While some recipes will swap out the whiskey for rum or tequila, it’s really not a Manhattan without that classic flavor you can only get from whiskey aging barrels.

Whiskey Sour

It’s really all in the name for the Whiskey Sour. Also occasionally called a Boston Sour, this classic cocktail is a favorite for people who might not want to taste straight whiskey in their glass. It dates all the way back to 1870s Wisconsin. The recipe only requires a few ingredients, too: whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white. The egg white is whipped up and served atop the shaken cocktail, making it a smooth drink all the way to the bottom of the glass. This certainly isn’t a whiskey cocktail you’ll want to miss out on.

From small whiskey barrels to your liquor cabinet, there’s not much that whiskey can’t accomplish. Bourbon might be America’s only native spirit, but there’s nothing quite as American as a classic whiskey cocktail.