27 Whiskey Cocktails to Warm Your Soul This Fall and Winter
Nothing is more soul-warming than curling up by the fire with a hot toddy or whiskey-spiked eggnog in hand. If your experience with the spirit starts and ends with Jack and Coke, it’s high time you branched out. Whiskey’s signature oak flavor pairs beautifully with everything from apple cider to hot cocoa. Plus, there are many varieties to explore, like sweet bourbon and peppery rye. Whiskey also pairs well with tart produce and sour beverages, like blackberries and lemonade, so you can sip it during the summertime too. Here are 27 whiskey cocktails to shake up at home all year round.
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1. Slow-Cooker Cranberry Hot Toddy
This soothing sipper is like the cashmere sweater of cocktails, thanks to cranberry juice, fresh tangerines, ginger and warm spices. The recipe calls for amber rum and brandy, but feel free to substitute the former with traditional bourbon.
2. Classic Eggnog
This creamy, cinnamon-y, nutmeg-kissed bev pairs well with dark rum, brandy and Cognac alike, but bourbon is our go-to choice. Be sure to leave a glass out for Santa.
3. Blood Orange Bourbon Sour
For the record, bourbon is a type of whiskey that’s mash is made up of at least 51 percent corn. It must be distilled and aged in charred oak barrels, typically resulting in a sweeter, more nuanced flavor with notes of caramel and vanilla. (That also makes it a delicious pairing for citrus.)
4. Chai Hot Toddy
Using chai tea instead of black makes this drink super autumnal. Serve it with whiskey, spiced rum or even Baileys.
5. Spiced Honey Bourbon Old Fashioned
Instead of simply muddling an orange slice and maraschino cherry, this drink gets an ounce of fresh clementine juice, orange bitters and spiced rosemary-honey syrup.
6. Classic Manhattan Cocktail
Rye is the star of this old-school cocktail, dashed with two types of bitters and sweet vermouth.
7. Blueberry Whiskey Buck
The drink is topped with ginger beer, so it’s equal parts sweet, sour and spicy. Use fresh blueberries when they’re in season and substitute frozen when they aren’t.
8. Honeycrisp and Bourbon Spiced Cider
There’s no shortage of fall spices in this fruity libation. We’re talking whole cloves, cardamom pods, star anise and cinnamon sticks.
9. Holiday Cheermeister Bourbon Punch
Whip this up for your guests and you’ll land a permanent spot on their nice list. Pomegranate juice and fresh-squeezed OJ offer acidity while prosecco turns the cocktail bubbly.
10. Hot Buttered Bourbon
Just as decadent as its rum-laced predecessor. The base is a rich concoction of butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and spices. Once it’s cooked, all it needs is hot water and a few shots of bourbon.
11. Whiskey Lemonade
You’re only three ingredients away from this summer staple. Use store-bought lemonade to save time or make your own (and infuse it with herbs like lavender and rosemary).
12. Garden Cherry Bourbon Smash
Fresh or frozen cherries work here—just be sure to spring for fresh basil and thyme. Don’t even get us started on the herby ginger-sugar rim.
13. Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour
Tastes just like a fall evening spent by the bonfire wrapped in your favorite quilt.
14. Maple Ginger Hot Toddy
Did you know the hot toddy is often used as a cold remedy? Give this one a try next time you have the sniffles: It’s loaded with freshly muddled ginger.
15. Spiced Bourbon Punch
No one likes to play bartender at their own party. So, stir this mix of bourbon, Champagne, apple cider and spiced simple syrup in a big punch bowl and let your guests serve themselves.
16. Caramel Apple Old Fashioned
Homemade cider caramel takes this bev over the top. Better yet, it comes together in just a few minutes. Muster all the patience you can while waiting for it to cool.
17. Maple Pumpkin Steamed Almond Milk with Bourbon
She’s gluten-free, dairy-free and oh so autumnal, down to the whipped coconut cream crown. (BTW, if you don’t have any premixed pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own.)
18. Bourbon Ginger Cider Cocktails
Ginger beer + apple cider = the ultimate fall combo. We’re even betting you can turn this libation into a float by finishing your glass with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
19. Cinnamon Bourbon Old Fashioned with Brûléed Oranges
This version of the old-school cocktail isn’t as boozy as the original, but once you taste the homemade maple-cinnamon simple syrup, you won’t mind one bit.
20. Blackberry Lemonade
Spike it with blackberry whiskey, bourbon, silver rum or lemon vodka—the bar cart is your oyster.
21. Cinnamon Cider Whiskey Sour
Garnish these sweet-tart sippers with apple slices, lemon wedges or cinnamon sticks. Bonus points for slicing the apples with a leaf-shaped cookie cutter.
22. Pumpkin Eggnog
Sure, you could just infuse store-bought nog with pumpkin purée and spices. But it’ll be a million times more satisfying if you make it from scratch.
23. Citrus Whiskey Tea Punch
Complete with pomegranate-lemon ice cubes. Whiskey and applejack, a liquor made from apple brandy and grain alcohol that’s known as America’s first spirit, unite to make this crowd-pleaser possible.
24. Cranberry Bourbon Sour
Be sure to use 100 percent cranberry juice instead of cranberry juice cocktail: Its flavor is much more intensely tart and better complements this drink.
25. New York Whiskey Sour
This classic cocktail sports a signature red wine float. Pick a vino that’s full-bodied, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah.
26. Irish Whiskey Smash
Think of it as a citrusy riff on the mint julep. Be gentle with the mint as you muddle it, so its flavorful oils are released without the leaves getting shredded.
27. Bourbon Spiked Hot Chocolate
Packet hot cocoa doesn’t even compare to this homemade version made with cocoa powder, vanilla and semi-sweet chocolate. Trust.
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