Have you tasted a great whiskey sour? One made with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and quality whiskey? They’re bold yet balanced, with a lovely lemony flavor.

Whiskey sours are one of my favorite drinks to order at swanky cocktail bars. If you have sworn off the whiskey sours of your college days, the ones made with cheap whiskey and fake sour mix, I assure you that legitimate whiskey sours are worth your while.

Whiskey sours are also fun to make at home. Serve them during the holidays, on game days, or for date nights in. If you have already enjoyed my Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour or New York Sour, I have no doubt you’ll love the original.

To make a whiskey sour, you’ll need just a few basic ingredients—good whiskey, fresh lemons, a little sweetener, and an optional egg white. Fancy cocktail cherries, such as Luxardo, are a worthwhile investment and keep for quite a while in a dark cabinet.

Whether you like your whiskey sour with no foam, extra foam, up or on the rocks, you’ll find all the details you need to craft your ideal whiskey sour in the recipe below. Gather your ingredients and your cocktail shaker!

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Who wants a drink? Let’s relax with an Old Fashioned, one of the oldest cocktails around. The Old Fashioned is for whiskey lovers, certainly, but it also might convince naysayers to become whiskey cocktail drinkers after all.

The Old Fashioned is a bold, dynamic drink that’s a little citrusy and a little sweet. It’s the perfect drink during the holidays, on chilly evenings, and basically any time you find yourself sitting around a fire. 

I came up with one delicious twist on this classic cocktail recipe, which also happens to be a shortcut. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, I bet you can guess what it is.

That’s right, I used maple syrup instead of simple syrup. That’s my secret to making a great Old Fashioned. Traditionally, Old Fashioned cocktails are made with a sugar cube or simple syrup. I’m here to tell you that they taste better with maple syrup, which subtly complements bourbon’s caramel notes and stirs in like a dream.

Back when the Old Fashioned gained popularity, maple syrup was not readily accessible. Luckily, it is now. This recipe yields the best Old Fashioned you’ll ever make at home. I hope you’ll give it a try!

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Do you love a good Manhattan cocktail? I do. Manhattans are one of my go-to cocktails when we’re out and about. I’ve been working on my repertoire of classic cocktail recipes, and decided it’s time to learn how to make a great Manhattan at home.

Manhattans were served as early as the 1870s in New York, so I’m almost one hundred and fifty years late to the party. I found guidance on how to make the best Manhattan in this Punch article, which examines how leading bartenders craft their Manhattans.

Here’s the good news: Manhattans seem fancy, but they are truly one of the easiest cocktails to make. You’ll only need three ingredients (plus a cherry garnish). The trick is selecting quality ingredients that play well together.

Once you have those, you’ll be sipping a great Manhattan cocktail in no time. Manhattans should always be stirred, not shaken, so you don’t even need to bust out the cocktail shaker for these. Cheers!

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Let’s warm up with classic Irish coffees! I used to make Irish coffees during my bartending days, and thought it would be fun to revisit the recipe and make them from scratch.

Classic Irish coffees are made with just four ingredients: hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and whipped cream. Oftentimes in restaurants, Irish coffees are overwhelmingly sweet and rich. I love making them at home because you can make them exactly how you like them.

Plus, Irish coffees are so simple to make. You don’t need bartending experience or any special equipment to whip these up.

My favorite Irish coffees are made with freshly brewed coffee, high-quality Irish whiskey, and topped with real whipped cream, which you can make in about 10 minutes if you have the time. It is worth the effort.

My only twist on the classic recipe is to use real maple syrup instead of sugar. Natural maple syrup flavors play beautifully with coffee and whiskey, and it blends right in since it’s liquid. Easy!

Watch How to Make Irish Coffee

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It’s Kentucky Derby day and it’s 80 degrees outside, so let’s make mint juleps! Mint juleps are refreshing and boozy cocktails traditionally made with fresh mint, bourbon and simple syrup.

Mint juleps are for bourbon lovers, which is to say that they’re not for you if you don’t like bourbon.

My twist on the classic mint julep recipe? I used real maple syrup instead of simple syrup, which means that you don’t have to melt sugar into water. Maple mint juleps couldn’t be easier to make!

Bourbon and maple syrup are a flavor pairing made in heaven, and the maple syrup adds another subtle layer of flavor.

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Let’s warm up with some hot toddies! They could not be easier to make. For this classic cocktail, you’ll just need hot water, whiskey, honey, and lemon. Unlike your typical mulled wine, wassail or warm cider, hot toddies are light and hydrating rather than overwhelmingly sweet.

Hot toddies are lovely slow sippers or night caps. Mara says they’re perfect for playing cards with the family. You could offer a hot toddy bar at your holiday party this year. I love that idea!

How to Make the Best Hot Toddy

The secret to making the best hot toddy is simple—just tinker with the amount of lemon juice and honey until it suits your taste buds. I’ve provided some guidelines in the recipe below. I think you’ll be surprised by how much an extra teaspoon of lemon juice or honey changes the flavor.

If you order a hot toddy at a bar, you’ll probably receive a whiskey drink. Any good whiskey will do—I’ve enjoyed hot toddies made with Bulleit Rye, Jameson, and Wiser’s.

If you prefer, you can make your hot toddy with dark rum or brandy. You’ll find more ways to change up the drink in my recipe notes.

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Are you familiar with the New York sour? Let me introduce you! It’s basically a whiskey sour with a beautiful red wine float on top. This layered drink looks fancy, but it’s actually easy to make at home.

If you like whiskey and wine separately, you’ll love them together in one glass. Each sip offers a juxtaposition of fruity red wine, smoky whiskey, and tart fresh lemon, and all tempered by a touch of sweetness. I prefer a dash of maple syrup for a subtle flavor that blends right in, but you can also use plain simple syrup to stay true to the original recipe.

The New York Sour is a classic cocktail to keep in your repertoire. It’s perfect for a cozy date night at home. If you’re interested in a stiff drink amongst the holiday crazies or a drink to impress your guests, this is it.

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When presented with a cocktail menu, I just can’t help but order a whiskey drink. An Old Fashioned, Manhattan, a well-made Whiskey Sour or any spin on the above. I’m a whiskey girl. Always have been, always will be.

Naturally, when I spied the “cinnamon maple sour” on the menu at a local bar the other day, I had to order it. I liked it so much that I had to recreate it at home.

Watch How to Make Cinnamon Maple Whiskey Sour

This whiskey sour recipe is sweetened with maple syrup, which tastes so much more interesting than basic simple syrup. The recipe includes plenty of fresh lemon juice and a hefty pinch of ground cinnamon, which offers some warming flavor for cold winter days. You can skip the cinnamon, though, if you would like a classic whiskey sour.

This is my last post before I take off for the holidays. Be merry and be safe! I appreciate you all so much for hanging out with me here and cooking my recipes in your kitchens.

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Memorial Day weekend snuck up on me again. Do you all have big plans? I hope so. I’m imagining that you will be gallivanting around a lake, perhaps sipping cocktails on a yacht or at minimum, sipping clinking drinks on a patio whilst rocking a pair of white skinny jeans.

Maybe I can accomplish the latter, but I’ll probably spend most of the weekend working, as usual. I have some ambitious blog projects in the works that I can’t wait to share with you all.

This “bootleg cocktail” will definitely be my summer drink and I hope it becomes yours. I discovered the bootleg at Brit’s Pub in Minneapolis when I went out for an after-dinner drink with Erin and Taylor. It was a chilly spring night, but I couldn’t resist the bar’s signature drink, which was a summery-sounding lemon and mint drink. I ordered mine with bourbon for some warmth and, on first sip, knew that I had to recreate it on the blog.

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We are running out of time. Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Thank goodness I’m not in charge of the cooking. Maybe you are prepared. Perhaps you already have your menu planned, your ingredients purchased and your best stretchy pants washed and ready. I don’t know how you do it.

I, for one, am still wearing my pajamas and wondering how I’m going to meet my work demands, drive five hours home and bake cranberry cornbread before the day is over. Somehow these things will all happen. They always do.

As cliché as it may sound, this holiday season I am trying to focus on what I do have (a sweet puppy dog, caring friends) rather than what I do not (a dishwasher, a life partner). Gratitude is never a bad idea, right? In keeping with that theme, I am not going to dwell on the three disappointing recipes that I made this weekend. None were worthy of your Thanksgiving table.

Instead, I thought I’d share my go-to warm cocktail for cool weather, because maybe you have not yet determined your beverage situation for tomorrow.

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