5 Bourbon Cocktails That Actually Deserve Your Allocated Bottles 🥃

TOP SHELF

Your $200 EHT deserves better than another boring Old Fashioned 🥃

Look, we get it.

You've got a whiskey cabinet that's worth more than your car payment. And every time someone suggests cocktails, you die a little inside watching good bourbon get murdered by sugar cubes and orange peels.

But here's the thing — bourbon was literally born to be mixed.

Before it became liquid gold, distillers were making cocktails that actually enhanced the spirit instead of masking it.

These five recipes won't waste your allocation. They'll make it sing.

1. 🔥 Smoked Maple Sour

For when your basic whiskey sour needs to grow up

This isn't your bartender cousin's sweet mess. The smoke adds complexity without overpowering, and the maple brings out those barrel notes you actually paid for.

What You Need:

• 2 oz bourbon (use something with bite — think Wild Turkey 101)

• 1 oz real maple syrup (Sprague’s is our favorite)

• ¾ oz fresh lemon juice

• 1 egg white (optional, but why skip the show?)

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• Smoked salt or wood chips (get fancy)

How to Not F*ck It Up:

1. Light your wood chips, trap the smoke in your glass like you're hotboxing your kitchen.

2. Dry shake everything without ice for 15 seconds — this is where the magic happens.

3. Add ice, shake like you're trying to wake the neighbors.

4. Strain into your smoked glass, twist that lemon peel with attitude.

Pro tip:

Use a high-rye bourbon here. The spice cuts through the maple sweetness and prevents the drink from becoming a sugar bomb. Wild Turkey 101's 13% rye content is perfect for this.

2. 🌿 Bourbon Basil Smash

Herbs meet whiskey. Your palate wins.

Before you roll your eyes, remember that bourbon and botanicals have been dancing together since before craft cocktails were cool. This one's dangerous. You'll kill the bottle faster than a Buffalo Trace drop.

What You Need:

• 2 oz bourbon (high rye works best here)

• ¾ oz fresh lemon juice

• ½ oz simple syrup

• 6-8 fresh basil leaves (grocery store basil is fine, relax)

• Lemon wheel for garnish

How to Build It:

1. Muddle that basil like it owes you money — but gently, we want oils not destruction

2. Add bourbon, lemon juice, ice

3. Shake with conviction

4. Strain over fresh ice

5. Garnish with basil sprig and lemon wheel

The herbaceous notes complement bourbon's spice rack perfectly. Don't overthink it.

3. ☕ Bourbon Maple Cold Brew

Because your morning pour and your afternoon caffeine deserve each other

This is what happens when bourbon meets its caffeinated soulmate. Perfect for those "lunch meetings" that start at 2 PM.

What You Need:

• 2 cups cold brew coffee (make it strong)

• 6 tablespoons bourbon (about 3 oz total)

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• ¼ cup heavy cream

• Ice

• Coffee beans or grated chocolate for garnish

The Process:

1. Combine cold brew, bourbon, and maple syrup in your shaker

2. Fill with ice, shake like you’re Shakira 😍

3. Strain into two ice-filled glasses

4. Float cream on top (2 tablespoons each glass)

5. Garnish with coffee beans or chocolate

Makes two servings because you're definitely not drinking this alone.

4. 🍑 Peach Bourbon Fizz

Summer in a glass, even when it's 20 degrees outside

Peach and bourbon is like peanut butter and jelly — obvious once you try it, life-changing once you perfect it.

What You Need:

• 2 oz bourbon

• 1 oz peach liqueur (or fresh peach purée if you're feeling ambitious)

• ½ oz fresh lime juice

• Club soda

• Fresh peach slice

Assembly Required:

1. Shake bourbon, peach liqueur, and lime juice with ice

2. Strain into highball glass over fresh ice

3. Top with club soda

4. Stir gently (we're not making a hurricane)

5. Garnish with peach slice

The effervescence keeps the sweetness in check. Perfect for fooling people into thinking you're being "healthy."

5. 🍎 Spiced Apple Bourbon Mule

Your Moscow Mule's cooler, more sophisticated cousin

This is what fall tastes like when fall has its shit together (unlike the Bears or worse … The Jets). The ginger beer adds bite while the apple cider brings seasonal vibes that actually matter.

What You Need:

• 2 oz bourbon

• 1 oz spiced apple cider

• ½ oz fresh lime juice

• Ginger beer

• Cinnamon stick and apple slice for garnish

• Copper mug (if you don't have one, any glass will do, but presentation matters)

The Build:

1. Fill copper mug with ice

2. Add bourbon, apple cider, lime juice

3. Top with ginger beer

4. Stir once

5. Garnish with cinnamon stick and apple slice

The spices in the cider complement bourbon's natural profile instead of fighting it.

Rethinking Bourbon Cocktails

These cocktails recipes are ways to extend your bourbon experience without wasting your allocation on another predictable pour.

Each recipe brings out different aspects of your whiskey. The Smoked Maple Sour highlights those deep barrel notes. The Basil Smash plays with the spice. The Cold Brew enhances the richness.

Bottom Line: Your bourbon cabinet deserves cocktails that enhance rather than hide. These five recipes prove you don't need to save every drop for neat pours.

Try them. Then text your bourbon group about which one made you forget about your last Old Fashioned.

Want more ways to level up your bourbon game? Check out our guide to bourbon and food pairings that actually make sense.