I have grown tired of Old Fashions overly sweetness. I like the Whisky sours ok and haven't really found a good Manhatten recipe .... I suppose it's time to whip up some Blackberry Bourbon Lemonades.
I've got a few bottles of ECBP c923 that is just too hot for me neat. Need to tone it down - and just ice doesn't seem to help much.
Whatcha got ?

Bourbon
ice (optional)

Sub’d.

Bourbon

Glass (optional)

Bourbon and Ginger beer is my favorite summer drink.

Neat.

I normally do a straightforward Manhattan; Bulleit, sweet vermouth, bitters, on ice.  Or just neat.

But on hot summer nights, sometimes I'll do a Bourbon Renewal:
https://jeffreymorgenthaler.com/bourbon-renewal/

Be careful level of sweet. I usually skip the simple syrup; the creme de cassis is sweet enough. You can add it to taste (but if you start with it, you can't take it out).

Someone needs to post their pappy and Diet Coke pic

Black Manhattan - 2 parts bourbon (or rye) and 1 part Averna Amaro

Boulevardier (or a riff on one at least) - Equal parts of bourbon (or rye), Aperol, and Martini & Rossi Fiero Orange Vermouth

I enjoy all of these as a break from neat bourbon.

Bourbon+ ice

mixed drinks are for women folk.

I thoroughly enjoy many Bourbons neat. But some really tasty Bourbons are too hot for my taste. The ECBP I mentioned is one of them at 133-proof.
Lots of good dark / dusty flavor there - just can’t get past the burn with that one.
Yet a 129- proof  Bookers I have drinks just fine straight

My go to for hot days or just to extend the drink is a simple highball.  Bourbon, sparkling water, and a twist of lemon.  If you use a good, full proof bourbon, it can actually make a big effect on the flavor of the cocktail, unlike some where the mixers overpower it and it's a waste.  Simple and refreshing.

A Godfather

4 parts bourbon, 1 part amaretto.

Adjust sweetness to taste. 6 to 1 is my current favorite, but 4 to 1 is a good starting point.

I don’t typically use bourbon in old fashioneds, manhattans or whiskey sours because I think they are overly sweet, I use rye. But!


Bourbon Manhattan

2oz Bourbon
1oz Vermouth
2 dashes angostura bitters

Stirred over ice and strained into a coupe or nick and Nora, garnish with a cherry or 3

I would recommend maybe Punt E Mes for the vermouth since it is a little more bitter and might standard up to the inherent sweetness of bourbon.

Bourbon OF

2oz Bourbon
1 barspoon rich Demerara syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 Dash Orange bitters

Stirred over ice, zest of an orange peel, not fruit muddled.


Blackberry Smash

3-5 blackberries muddled in shaker
2oz bourbon
1/2oz rich syrup
3/4oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1 dash angostura bitters

Shake with ice and double strain (Hawthorne and fine mesh)

Serve on ice with a garnish of 3 blackberries and mint.

Pineapple Julep

Lightly press 4-6 mint leaves in cup
2oz Bourbon
1/2oz pineapple syrup
2 dashes angostura bitters

Add in half cup crushed ice and stir

Top off more crushed ice and garnish with mint.

Pineapple syrup recipe

Take pineapple scraps (outside of pineapple and core), cover in Demerara sugar and put in fridge for a a day or so. You’ll see all the liquid pulled from the scraps. Strain with cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer into a bottle.

I mix it with diet ginger ale or ginger beer (with lime). Dial in sweetness with how much soda you use, it’s a good drink that goes with almost everything.

Faster and easier to make than an old fashioned too.

Maple Manhattan
2 oz bourbon
1/2 oz real maple syrup
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes of chocolate bitters
Stir over ice in a cocktail shaker, add a cocktail cherry to a chilled glass, and pour into glass.

Bourbon Renewal has been a recent favorite of mine.  

• 2 oz bourbon
• 1 oz fresh lemon juice
• .5 oz creme de cassis
• .5 oz simple syrup
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake ingredients with ice until cold.
Strain over fresh ice into an old-fashioned glass.
Garnish with a lemon wedge

Sazerac:

Absinthe - rinse the glass with 1/4oz and dispose what doesn’t cling to the glass

2oz bourbon or rye
4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1tsp simple syrup
Lemon peel twist

Shake the liquor, bitters, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice and pour over a large cube in a rocks glass.

I’ve seen more bitters or absinthe used, a sugar cube, or agave syrup.

Gotta use Peychaud’s bitters, though. It’s very herbal.

Room temp in a brown paper bag.

Just kidding. Rocks glass with 1 ice cube for me
I tried cocktails with it and the only one I cared for was a mint julep

Vermouth containing: Manhattan, boulevardier
Citrus forward: whiskey smash, margarita (sub tequila obviously), fools gold, gold rush
Aperitif: paper plane

I hate their bourbons but basil Hayden has a good list with recipes here

https://www.basilhaydenbourbon.com/cocktails?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADxf295b1S0IW-xuiAmBStqMyEE1T&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhb2wssi9hwMVTyytBh0bogvUEAAYASAAEgKP7_D_BwE