3 Classic Whiskey Cocktails Worth Adding to the Mix

When you ask someone for 3 whiskey cocktails, they’ll probably give you a whiskey sour, an old fashioned or a Manhattan. These classic drinks, while absolutely delicious, can get a little boring sometimes. So it’s time to expand your horizons and try these next 3 whiskey cocktails that most may not know by name, but can easily be made at home, or by your favorite bar tender.

New York Sour:
Sometimes all you need to do is add one more ingredient and all of a sudden you’ve completely changed a cocktail. The New York Sour is your traditional whiskey sour shaken with an egg white and then given a red wine float. The egg white gives the sour a lighter texture while the red wine float adds an element of rich fruits and a lovely tart finish.

Recipe:
1 Egg white
¾ oz Fresh lemon juice
1 oz Simple syrup
2 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey
1 oz Red Wine (your preference, but I personally go with a sweeter red)

Add all the ingredients except the wine into a mixing tin with ice and then give it a reverse dry shake. (The reverse dry shake is a two-shake process. Once with ice, fine strain, and then once again without ice. It will give your cocktail an almost meringue like topping, maximum fluff with minimal dilution.) Fine strain into a rocks glass and then float the red wine on top. Garnish with a few drops of angostura bitters.

Penicillin
Sadly, you don’t see scotch in many cocktails, but the Penicillin finds a perfect balance between the richness of honey, peaty smoke of scotch, and the spice of ginger. Islay of Skye is a Scottish blend that has a wonderful smoke yet is completely affordable so you don’t need to whip out that Oban 14 or shed any tears.

Recipe:
¾ oz Fresh lemon juice
½ oz Honey Syrup
1 ½ oz Isle of Skye Blended Scotch
½ oz New Deal Ginger Liqueur

Add all the ingredients into a mixing tin, shake with ice and double strain over fresh ice or serve up. Garnish with a thin lemon slice.

Boulevardier
Love a good Negroni? Love a good whiskey? You’ll love this classic Negroni riff that substitutes the gin with that delicious amber nectar we call bourbon. A more spirit forward cocktail, the Boulevardier is a simplistic 3 ingredient cocktail that marries spirit (bourbon), sweet (vermouth), and bitter (apertivo).

Recipe:
1 ½ oz Eagle Rare Bourbon
1 oz Cocchi di Torino Sweet Vermouth 
½ oz St. George Bruto Americano

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir until desired dilution. Pour and strain into a glass, garnish by expressing and placing an orange peel into the cocktail.