5 Whiskey Cocktails Every Beginner Should Know How to Make

Start With These Before Anything Fancy

Whiskey cocktails have a reputation for being intimidating, but the classics are simpler than people expect. Once you've got these five down, you can make most of what you'll ever order at a bar.

1. The Old Fashioned

Bourbon or rye, sugar, bitters, a large ice cube, and an orange peel. It's the drink that teaches you how a good spirit should taste on its own, barely dressed up.

2. The Whiskey Sour

Whiskey, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and an optional egg white for texture. This is the cocktail that shows you how balance between sour and sweet actually works.

3. The Manhattan

Whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters, stirred and strained. It's the Old Fashioned's more sophisticated cousin, and a good test of whether your vermouth is actually fresh.

4. The Whiskey Highball

Whiskey and soda water over ice. It sounds too simple to matter, but ratio and ice quality make or break this one, and it's the easiest way to taste a whiskey you're not familiar with yet.

5. The Sazerac

Rye whiskey, absinthe rinse, sugar, and Peychaud's bitters. New Orleans' signature cocktail, and a great one to learn once the first four feel easy.

Want to Practice These in Person?

Our Intro to Bourbon & Rye class covers all of this hands-on, with a full tasting flight included. It's one of our most-booked weekly classes for a reason.