10 Whiskey Cocktails You Need to Know
From a three-ingredient Manhattan to a hot mug of Irish Coffee — ten classic whiskey drinks, with exact ratios, across bourbon, rye, and Scotch.
One spirit, three very different traditions
“Whiskey cocktails” actually covers three distinct spirits with their own personalities — bourbon's round sweetness, rye's spice, Scotch's smoke and honey. Here are ten classics that show off all three, in exact ratios.
1. Manhattan
Rye whiskey and sweet vermouth stirred to silky elegance with Angostura bitters. Stirred, served up in a coupe with a maraschino cherry.
- 60 ml Rye whiskey
- 30 ml Sweet vermouth
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
2. Boulevardier
A whiskey Negroni — bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth stirred to perfection. Stirred, served over ice in a rocks glass with an orange peel.
- 45 ml Bourbon
- 30 ml Campari
- 30 ml Sweet vermouth
3. Sazerac
Rye, Peychaud's bitters, and sugar stirred neat in an absinthe-rinsed glass — New Orleans' own. Stirred, served chilled and neat with a lemon peel.
- 60 ml Rye whiskey
- 7 ml Simple syrup
- 3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
- 1 barspoon Absinthe (rinsed)
4. Rob Roy
A Scotch Manhattan — whisky, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters stirred down silky. Stirred, served up in a coupe with a maraschino cherry.
- 60 ml Scotch whisky
- 30 ml Sweet vermouth
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
5. Mint Julep
Bourbon and mint over a mountain of crushed ice. Mint muddled gently, built in a rocks glass over crushed ice, garnished with a mint bouquet.
- 60 ml Bourbon
- 15 ml Simple syrup
- 10 leaves Mint
6. Hot Toddy
A classic cold-weather cure of whiskey, honey, lemon, and warming spices in hot water. Built in a mug, served hot with a clove-studded lemon slice.
- 45 ml Whiskey
- 15 ml Honey
- 22 ml Lemon juice
- 1 each Cinnamon stick
- 150 ml Hot water
7. Irish Coffee
Hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar under a silky float of lightly whipped cream. Built in a mug, served hot.
- 45 ml Irish whiskey
- 120 ml Hot coffee
- 2 tsp Brown sugar
- 30 ml Heavy cream (lightly whipped)
8. Rusty Nail
Scotch and Drambuie built over ice — warming, honeyed, and effortlessly Scottish. Built in a rocks glass over ice with a lemon twist.
- 45 ml Scotch whisky
- 22 ml Drambuie
9. Penicillin
Blended Scotch shaken with honey-ginger syrup and lemon, finished with an Islay smoke float. Shaken, served over ice in a rocks glass with candied ginger.
- 60 ml Blended Scotch whisky
- 22 ml Lemon juice
- 22 ml Honey-ginger syrup
- 7 ml Islay Scotch whisky (float)
10. Paper Plane
Equal parts bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon — bittersweet, bright, and balanced. Shaken, served up in a coupe.
- 22 ml Bourbon
- 22 ml Aperol
- 22 ml Amaro Nonino
- 22 ml Lemon juice
11 free whiskey recipes, one library
Eight of these ten are free in Sakaba's library — Rusty Nail and Paper Plane are part of Sakaba Plus. The Whiskey category has 11 free recipes total, bourbon, rye, and Scotch side by side, each with method and glass listed up front.
