Rye Whiskey cocktails
13 classic recipes from our canon that use rye whiskey — Rye Whiskey sits in our spirits shelf.
Old Fashioned
Spirit, sugar, bitters — the original cocktail, distilled to its essentials.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml bourbon
- ◆10 ml simple syrup
- ◆2 dashes angostura bitters
Method
- 1Stir bourbon, syrup and bitters with ice until chilled.
- 2Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.
- 3Express an orange peel over the top.
PRO TIP
Stir, never shake — you want silk, not froth.
Garnish — Orange peel
Whiskey Sour
Bourbon, lemon and a silky egg-white cap — tart, rounded and timeless.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml bourbon
- ◆25 ml lemon juice
- ◆20 ml simple syrup
- ◆1 egg white
Method
- 1Dry-shake everything without ice to build the foam.
- 2Add ice and shake again until cold.
- 3Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
PRO TIP
A few drops of bitters on the foam, dragged with a pick, makes it look the part.
Garnish — Angostura bitters
Manhattan
Rye and sweet vermouth, stirred down cold — elegant, spirit-forward, classic.
Ingredients
- ◆50 ml rye whiskey
- ◆20 ml sweet vermouth
- ◆1 dash angostura bitters
Method
- 1Stir all ingredients with ice until very cold.
- 2Strain into a chilled coupe.
PRO TIP
Rye over bourbon — the spice keeps the vermouth from going cloying.
Garnish — Cherry
Boulevardier
Bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth — the Negroni's richer, whiskey-drinking sibling.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml bourbon
- ◆30 ml campari
- ◆30 ml sweet vermouth
Method
- 1Stir all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.
PRO TIP
A little extra whiskey over the Negroni's gin keeps it from going sweet.
Garnish — Orange peel
Sazerac
Rye stirred with Peychaud's in an absinthe-rinsed glass — New Orleans' spirit-forward classic.
Ingredients
- ◆rinse absinthe
- ◆50 ml rye whiskey
- ◆7 ml simple syrup
- ◆2 dashes peychaud's bitters
Method
- 1Rinse a chilled rocks glass with absinthe and discard the excess.
- 2Stir rye, syrup and Peychaud's with ice until cold.
- 3Strain into the glass, neat, and express a lemon peel over the top.
PRO TIP
Served without ice — the absinthe is a rinse, not a pour.
Garnish — Lemon peel, discarded
Mint Julep
Bourbon and mint over a mountain of crushed ice — the drink of the Kentucky Derby.
Ingredients
- ◆8 leaves mint
- ◆15 ml simple syrup
- ◆60 ml bourbon
Method
- 1Gently press the mint with the syrup in a julep cup.
- 2Fill with crushed ice and add bourbon.
- 3Churn with a spoon until the cup frosts.
PRO TIP
Press the mint, don't shred it — and pack the ice high.
Garnish — Mint bouquet
Paper Plane
Equal parts bourbon, Aperol, amaro and lemon — a modern classic that's bitter, bright and balanced.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml bourbon
- ◆30 ml aperol
- ◆30 ml amaro
- ◆30 ml lemon juice
Method
- 1Shake all four equal parts with ice.
- 2Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
PRO TIP
Amaro Nonino is the classic choice — it gives the drink its backbone.
Garnish — None
Trinidad Sour
An upside-down sour built on a full pour of Angostura, softened by orgeat and rye.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml angostura bitters
- ◆30 ml orgeat
- ◆22 ml lemon juice
- ◆15 ml rye whiskey
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
PRO TIP
Yes — a full 45 ml of bitters as the base. The orgeat tames it beautifully.
Garnish — None
New York Sour
A whiskey sour crowned with a float of red wine — dramatic-looking and surprisingly harmonious.
Ingredients
- ◆60 ml rye whiskey
- ◆30 ml lemon juice
- ◆22 ml simple syrup
- ◆few drops egg white
- ◆15 ml red wine
Method
- 1Shake whiskey, lemon and syrup with ice.
- 2Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
- 3Float the red wine over the back of a spoon.
PRO TIP
A dry, fruity red floats best and bleeds down beautifully.
Garnish — None
Vieux Carré
Rye, cognac, vermouth and Bénédictine, double-bittered — a layered New Orleans sipper.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml rye whiskey
- ◆30 ml cognac
- ◆30 ml sweet vermouth
- ◆1 bar spoon benedictine
- ◆2 dashes peychaud's bitters
Method
- 1Stir all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
PRO TIP
The Bénédictine is the secret — a teaspoon ties the whole thing together.
Garnish — Lemon twist
Remember the Maine
A Manhattan laced with cherry and absinthe — dark, spiced and a little mysterious.
Ingredients
- ◆rinse absinthe
- ◆60 ml rye whiskey
- ◆22 ml sweet vermouth
- ◆15 ml cherry liqueur
Method
- 1Rinse a chilled coupe with absinthe and discard the excess.
- 2Stir the remaining ingredients with ice until cold.
- 3Strain into the prepared coupe.
PRO TIP
Cherry Heering is the classic cherry liqueur for this one.
Garnish — Lemon zest
Gold Rush
Bourbon, honey and lemon — a modern whiskey sour with the syrup swapped for honey.
Ingredients
- ◆60 ml bourbon
- ◆22 ml honey syrup
- ◆22 ml lemon juice
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.
PRO TIP
Honey gives it a rounder, warmer body than simple syrup ever could.
Garnish — Lemon twist
Whiskey Smash
A bourbon sour smashed with mint and lemon — like a julep and a sour had a summer fling.
Ingredients
- ◆6 leaves mint
- ◆22 ml lemon juice
- ◆15 ml simple syrup
- ◆60 ml bourbon
Method
- 1Muddle the mint with lemon and syrup.
- 2Add bourbon and ice, shake hard.
- 3Strain over crushed ice in a rocks glass.
PRO TIP
Muddle the mint just enough to release the oils — over-muddling turns it bitter.
Garnish — Mint sprig
You can also use
Common substitutions that interchange with rye whiskey in these drinks.
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