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Spirit collection

Whiskey Cocktails

Whiskey cocktails split into two great families: the stirred, spirit-forward line (Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Sazerac) and the shaken sours (Whiskey Sour, Gold Rush, Penicillin). Learn one from each and you can read every other recipe on this page.

88guided recipesml + ozprecise specs

Bourbon plays rounder and sweeter; rye drier and spicier; Scotch brings smoke. Most recipes here work with any of them — the drink just changes its accent.

Whiskey Sour in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Whiskey Sour

StrongShakenSour

The whiskey sour is bourbon, lemon and sugar — the template every “sour” cocktail is built on. This is the classic no-egg version: bright, balanced, and ready in two minutes.

Old Fashioned in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Old Fashioned

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

The Old Fashioned is the original cocktail: good bourbon, a little sugar, a couple of dashes of bitters and a big cube of ice. Nothing hides — so use a whiskey you actually like.

Boulevardier in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Boulevardier

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

A Negroni that swapped gin for bourbon — warmer, richer and just as bitter-sweet. Campari and sweet vermouth do the rest.

Manhattan in a clear shallow coupe styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Manhattan

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and a couple of dashes of bitters, served up with a cherry. The definitive whiskey cocktail — purists stir it, but a hard shake chills it just as cold.

Rob Roy in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Rob Roy

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A Manhattan made with Scotch — smoky, malty and a little softer. Sweet vermouth and bitters round it out.

Brooklyn in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Brooklyn

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A drier cousin of the Manhattan from the borough itself: rye, dry vermouth, a little maraschino and a bitter amaro. Sharp and grown-up.

Vieux Carré in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Vieux Carré

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

New Orleans in a glass: rye and cognac with sweet vermouth, Bénédictine and two kinds of bitters. Deep, spiced and utterly complex.

Sazerac in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Sazerac

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

The pride of New Orleans: rye and Peychaud’s bitters in an absinthe-rinsed glass, no ice, lemon oils on top. Aromatic, dry and dangerously smooth.

Paper Plane in a clear shallow coupe styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Paper Plane

StrongShakenSour

A modern equal-parts classic: bourbon, Aperol, amaro and lemon. Bitter, bright and beautifully balanced.

Penicillin in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Penicillin

StrongShakenSour

Blended Scotch, lemon, honey and fresh ginger, with a smoky single-malt float. A modern classic that tastes like a cure.

Gold Rush in a heavy low rocks glass styled in an old railway club bar with bottle-green leather, mahogany and aged nickel.

Gold Rush

StrongShakenSour

A whiskey Bee’s Knees: bourbon, lemon and honey over a big cube. Three ingredients, silky texture, hard to beat.

Amaretto Sour in a heavy low rocks glass styled in an old railway club bar with bottle-green leather, mahogany and aged nickel.

Amaretto Sour

MediumShakenSour

Done right — with a shot of bourbon and egg white for backbone — the Amaretto Sour is nutty, tart and grown-up, not the syrupy version you remember.

New York Sour in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

New York Sour

StrongShakenSour

A whiskey sour crowned with a float of red wine that bleeds down through the drink. As beautiful as it is delicious.

Mint Julep in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Mint Julep

StrongMuddledMuddled

The drink of the Kentucky Derby: bourbon and sugar over a mountain of crushed ice, perfumed with fresh mint. Cold, aromatic and Southern to the core.

Whiskey Smash in a heavy low rocks glass styled in an old railway club bar with bottle-green leather, mahogany and aged nickel.

Whiskey Smash

StrongMuddledMuddled

A bourbon sour crossed with a julep: lemon and mint muddled with sugar, lengthened with whiskey. Bright, herbal and refreshing.

Godfather in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Godfather

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

Scotch and amaretto over ice — two ingredients, nutty and smooth. An offer you can’t refuse.

Rusty Nail in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Rusty Nail

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

Scotch sweetened with honeyed Drambuie over ice. Warming, herbal and old-school.

Old Pal in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Old Pal

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A drier, whiskey-based cousin of the Negroni: rye, dry vermouth and Campari in equal parts.

Toronto in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Toronto

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

An Old Fashioned with a bitter Fernet backbone — rye, a little sugar and bitters, stirred over ice.

Bobby Burns in a clear shallow coupe styled in an old railway club bar with bottle-green leather, mahogany and aged nickel.

Bobby Burns

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A Scotch Manhattan with a herbal Bénédictine lift — malty, honeyed and warming.

Blood and Sand in a clear shallow coupe styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Blood and Sand

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

One of the few classics built on Scotch: whisky, sweet vermouth, cherry and orange in equal measure. Named for a bullfighting film.

Red Hook in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Red Hook

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A Brooklyn variation from the modern craft era: rye, sweet vermouth and a touch of maraschino. Rich and cherry-scented.

Little Italy in a clear shallow coupe styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Little Italy

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A Manhattan with an amaro twist — rye and sweet vermouth deepened with bitter Italian amaro.

Greenpoint in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Greenpoint

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A Brooklyn cousin with yellow Chartreuse: rye, sweet vermouth and herbal liqueur with a double hit of bitters.

John Collins in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

John Collins

MediumShakenSour

The Tom Collins’ whiskey brother: bourbon, lemon and sugar shaken and lengthened with soda. Tall and refreshing.

Whiskey Highball in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a small jazz bar with oxblood plaster, old brass trim and scratched dark wood.

Whiskey Highball

LightBuilt in glassHighball

Whisky and soda (or ginger ale) over plenty of ice — the most elegant simple drink there is. All about cold and fizz.

Presbyterian in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Presbyterian

MediumBuilt in glassHighball

Bourbon lengthened with equal parts ginger ale and soda — a lightly spicy, low-key highball.

Horse’s Neck in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Horse’s Neck

MediumBuilt in glassHighball

Bourbon and ginger ale with a long spiral of lemon peel and a dash of bitters — a spicy, old-school cooler.

Kentucky Mule in a real hammered copper mug with a full handle styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Kentucky Mule

MediumBuilt in glassHighball

A Moscow Mule with bourbon: whiskey, lime and spicy ginger beer over ice in a frosty mug.

Ward 8 in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Ward 8

StrongShakenSour

A Boston sour with a political past: rye with lemon, orange and a little grenadine. Bright and rosy.

Scofflaw in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Scofflaw

StrongShakenSour

Dry vermouth is the part people skip, and it's the part that makes this work. It cuts the sugar out of a whiskey sour and leaves something leaner and more savory, with grenadine there for color and a thin line of fruit rather than sweetness.

Brown Derby in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Brown Derby

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A Hollywood classic: bourbon, grapefruit and honey, shaken up. Tart, floral and beautifully balanced.

Perfect Manhattan in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Perfect Manhattan

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A Manhattan split between sweet and dry vermouth — a touch drier and more aromatic than the original.

Lynchburg Lemonade in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a small jazz bar with oxblood plaster, old brass trim and scratched dark wood.

Lynchburg Lemonade

MediumBuilt in glassHighball

Lynchburg is the Tennessee town where Jack Daniel's is distilled, which tells you what whiskey the drink was built around. Bourbon works fine. What matters more is keeping the soda to about twice the whiskey, or it stops tasting like whiskey at all.

Whiskey Ginger in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Whiskey Ginger

MediumBuilt in glassHighball

Two ingredients means the ginger ale is doing half the work, so buy one with actual bite. The dusty supermarket stuff turns this into sweet brown soda. A dry ginger ale leaves the bourbon's vanilla and baking spice sitting right on top.

Final Ward in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Final Ward

StrongShakenSour

A Last Word made with whiskey and lemon — equal parts rye, green Chartreuse, maraschino and lemon. Bold and herbal.

Seelbach in a large stemmed balloon wine glass styled in a small jazz bar with oxblood plaster, old brass trim and scratched dark wood.

Seelbach

StrongBuilt in glassSparkling

Bourbon and orange liqueur with a startling number of bitters, topped with champagne. Rich, spiced and sparkling.

Remember the Maine in a clear shallow coupe styled in a small jazz bar with oxblood plaster, old brass trim and scratched dark wood.

Remember the Maine

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Absinthe never really gets into this one. It coats the glass and gets poured out, leaving a smell that meets you before the rye does. Underneath, sweet vermouth and a small pour of raspberry liqueur turn the whole thing dark and faintly jammy.

Black Manhattan in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Black Manhattan

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A Manhattan with amaro standing in for the vermouth — darker, bittersweet and coffee-edged. A modern bartender favourite.

De La Louisiane in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

De La Louisiane

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A rich New Orleans classic: rye, sweet vermouth and Bénédictine with a whisper of absinthe. Deep and spiced.

Diamondback in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Diamondback

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Three ingredients, no citrus, no mercy. Rye, apple brandy and yellow Chartreuse stacked two to one to one, which reads harmless on paper until you notice that nothing in the glass is under 40 percent.

Fancy Free in a clear shallow coupe styled in a small jazz bar with oxblood plaster, old brass trim and scratched dark wood.

Fancy Free

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Swap the sugar cube in an Old Fashioned for 15 ml of maraschino and this is roughly where you land. Bourbon with dry cherry stone behind it, Angostura and orange bitters keeping the liqueur honest, and no citrus anywhere.

Algonquin in a clear shallow coupe styled in a small jazz bar with oxblood plaster, old brass trim and scratched dark wood.

Algonquin

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Pineapple juice in a whiskey drink sounds like a bad idea. Three quarters of an ounce of it against rye and dry vermouth barely reads as fruit at all, more as a softening that takes the hard edge off the vermouth and leaves the whiskey exactly where it was.

Kentucky Colonel in a clear shallow coupe styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Kentucky Colonel

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Two ingredients at four to one, Bénédictine laying honey and dried herbs over bourbon's vanilla and corn, with nothing else in the glass to soften the landing.

Preakness in a clear shallow coupe styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Preakness

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Barely a teaspoon of Bénédictine separates this from a Manhattan, and it turns out to be enough. Eight ml of honeyed herbs arrives late, after the rye and the sweet vermouth have made their case, changing what the finish tastes like without touching the shape of the drink.

Cameron's Kick in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Cameron's Kick

StrongShakenSour

An unusual all-whisky sour: Scotch and Irish whiskey with lemon and nutty orgeat. Smoky, soft and completely charming.

Boston Sour in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Boston Sour

StrongShakenSour

A whiskey sour with egg white shaken in — the same sharp balance under a silky, foamy crown.

Millionaire in a clear shallow coupe styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Millionaire

StrongShakenSour

Grand Marnier does the heavy lifting: orange and cognac stacked on bourbon, with lemon keeping it from going syrupy. Egg white makes it silk. The grenadine is barely there at 8 ml, in for color and a whisper of fruit.

Prince of Wales in a large stemmed balloon wine glass styled in an old railway club bar with bottle-green leather, mahogany and aged nickel.

Prince of Wales

StrongBuilt in glassSparkling

Rye, a bar spoon of maraschino, bitters, and champagne over the top. It drinks like an Old Fashioned in a dinner jacket, the whiskey still doing the talking under the bubbles.

Improved Whiskey Cocktail in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Improved Whiskey Cocktail

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

An Old Fashioned dressed up with maraschino and a whisper of absinthe — the 19th-century “improved” template. Deep and aromatic.

Frisco in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Frisco

StrongShakenSour

Eight milliliters of lemon is not enough to make a sour, and this isn't trying to be one. Bénédictine's honey and dried herbs sit right on top of the rye's pepper, and the citrus is there to stop the whole thing going sticky.

Fanciulli in a clear shallow coupe styled in a small jazz bar with oxblood plaster, old brass trim and scratched dark wood.

Fanciulli

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Fernet Branca takes the place of Angostura in an otherwise standard Manhattan, and 8 ml of it changes far more than a couple of dashes ever would. Menthol, saffron and bitter root run right through the sweet vermouth and out the other side.

Emerald in a clear shallow coupe styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Emerald

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

An Irish Manhattan: Irish whiskey with sweet vermouth and bitters, stirred down. Softer and greener than its rye cousin.

Tipperary in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Tipperary

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Green Chartreuse at 15 ml isn't a modifier, it's a co-star, and this is one of very few whiskey drinks that lets it be one. Irish whiskey and sweet vermouth underneath, a hundred and thirty-odd botanicals over the top, and no room for a careless pour.

Cablegram in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a small jazz bar with oxblood plaster, old brass trim and scratched dark wood.

Cablegram

MediumBuilt in glassHighball

Take a Whiskey Sour, pour it over ice in a tall glass and top it with ginger ale. Bourbon's corn sweetness lands against the ginger's dry burn, and the lemon keeps the whole thing from collapsing into soda pop.

Bourbon Renewal in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Bourbon Renewal

StrongShakenSour

Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s modern classic: a bourbon sour deepened with blackcurrant liqueur. Tart, dark-fruited and moreish.

Whiskey Daisy in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Whiskey Daisy

StrongShakenSour

Bourbon's corn sweetness meets lemon head-on here, with grenadine and a little orange liqueur filling the gap between them. Daisies were a bar standard in the 1870s, half a century before anyone thought to call the tequila one a Margarita.

Trinidad Sour in a clear shallow coupe styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Trinidad Sour

StrongShakenSour

The cocktail that made bitters a base spirit: a whole pour of Angostura balanced by nutty orgeat, lemon and a little rye. Deep red and utterly unique.

Mamie Taylor in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Mamie Taylor

MediumBuilt in glassHighball

Ginger ale, not ginger beer — that's what separates this from every mule that followed. Blended scotch, a squeeze of lime, plenty of bubbles, and the malt sitting under the spice instead of fighting it.

Affinity in a clear shallow coupe styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Affinity

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A Scotch “perfect” Rob Roy: whisky split evenly between sweet and dry vermouth, with a dash of bitters. Smoky, round and balanced.

Blinker in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Blinker

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A tart, forgotten gem: rye shaken with grapefruit juice and a little grenadine. Sharp, pink and grown-up.

Commodore in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Commodore

StrongShakenSour

Grenadine instead of sugar syrup, which is the whole trick. It gives a rye sour a rose color and a faint tannic grip, with orange bitters sharpening the lemon.

Ink Street in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Ink Street

StrongShakenSour

Sugar doesn't come into it. Orange juice is the only sweetness, split evenly with lemon over 45 ml of rye, which means the drink is only ever as good as the fruit you squeeze.

Suburban in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Suburban

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

Three brown spirits in one glass, and the port is what you notice first. Rye brings the spice, dark rum the molasses, ruby port the dried fruit underneath. Heavy and wine-dark, built on ice and meant to be worked through slowly.

Klondike Cooler in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in an old railway club bar with bottle-green leather, mahogany and aged nickel.

Klondike Cooler

MediumBuilt in glassHighball

Ginger ale does most of the work here, stretching 45 ml of rye across a tall glass with just enough orange juice to take the edge off. Spicy and light, the kind of thing you keep drinking on a warm afternoon.

Waldorf in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Waldorf

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Anise is the whole difference here. Take a Manhattan, add a single dash of absinthe, and the drink turns darker and slightly medicinal without the rye losing any ground. Sweet vermouth and Angostura hold their usual places.

Blackthorn in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Blackthorn

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Equal measures of Irish whiskey and dry vermouth put this much closer to a Martini than to anything in the Manhattan family. Angostura and a dash of absinthe do all the seasoning. Malt and dried herbs, dry the whole way through.

Opening in a clear shallow coupe styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Opening

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Grenadine stands where the bitters usually go, which makes this the gentlest drink in the Manhattan family. Pomegranate sweetness arrives first, rye shows through by the finish, and nothing anywhere is sharp.

Bensonhurst in a clear shallow coupe styled in a small jazz bar with oxblood plaster, old brass trim and scratched dark wood.

Bensonhurst

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A Brooklyn cousin from the borough’s neighbourhoods: rye with dry vermouth, maraschino and a whisper of amaro. Dry, complex and bar-nerd approved.

Bourbon Milk Punch in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Bourbon Milk Punch

MediumStirredCreamy

A New Orleans brunch soother: bourbon, milk and sugar shaken cold and dusted with nutmeg. Creamy, gentle and restorative.

Whiskey Cobbler in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Whiskey Cobbler

StrongStirredTropical

Bourbon over a heap of crushed ice with orange and a little sugar, which is the entire recipe. It drinks like an Old Fashioned that spent the afternoon outdoors, colder and much less serious about itself.

Georgia Mint Julep in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Georgia Mint Julep

StrongMuddledMuddled

A Southern julep with a peach accent: bourbon and peach liqueur muddled with mint over a snowdrift of crushed ice.

Reverse Manhattan in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Reverse Manhattan

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A Manhattan flipped: vermouth leads and whiskey supports, for a lower-proof, aromatic sipper that’s all about the wine.

Chancellor in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Chancellor

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

A robust Scotch sipper: whisky with ruby port and a little dry vermouth, stirred down with bitters. Rich, dark and warming.

Whiskey Peach Smash in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Whiskey Peach Smash

StrongMuddledMuddled

A summer smash with a peach note: bourbon and peach liqueur muddled with mint and lemon over crushed ice.

New Orleans Buck in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a small jazz bar with oxblood plaster, old brass trim and scratched dark wood.

New Orleans Buck

MediumBuilt in glassHighball

Bourbon with orange and lime under it and ginger ale over the top. Juicier than a whiskey and ginger, softer than a Mule. One dash of Angostura is what keeps it from reading as a soft drink with whiskey in it.

Bourbon Crusta in a clear shallow coupe styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Bourbon Crusta

StrongShakenSour

Sugar around the rim, a short pour of lemon, and two liqueurs measured in single milliliters. Fussy to build for something that goes down in three sips. Worth it for the first one, which arrives through the sugar.

Hunter in a heavy low rocks glass styled in an old railway club bar with bottle-green leather, mahogany and aged nickel.

Hunter

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

Sixty milliliters of rye against 15 of raspberry liqueur is four to one, which is why the fruit shows up as a dark edge on the whiskey rather than as anything you would call sweet.

Thistle in a clear shallow coupe styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Thistle

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

Scotch and sweet vermouth in equal measure, which is twice the vermouth a Rob Roy carries, and it shows. Sweeter and more herbal than you expect, with the malt sitting well back and two dashes of Angostura the only thing pulling the other way.

Scotch Old Fashioned in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Scotch Old Fashioned

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

The Old Fashioned formula on Scotch: whisky, a little sugar and bitters over a big cube. Smoky where bourbon is sweet.

Irish Old Fashioned in a heavy low rocks glass styled in an old railway club bar with bottle-green leather, mahogany and aged nickel.

Irish Old Fashioned

StrongStirredSpirit-forward

Softer than the bourbon version and much softer than the scotch one. Irish whiskey brings grain sweetness and orchard fruit rather than vanilla or smoke, so the sugar can stay minimal — a bar spoon is plenty before the whiskey starts tasting like dessert.

Monte Carlo in a clear shallow coupe styled in a refined warehouse tasting bar with rough brick, charred oak and one high factory window.

Monte Carlo

StrongShakenSpirit-forward

An Old Fashioned with Bénédictine in place of sugar: rye, herbal-sweet liqueur and bitters, stirred down. Rich and aromatic.

Oriental in a clear shallow coupe styled in an old railway club bar with bottle-green leather, mahogany and aged nickel.

Oriental

StrongShakenSour

Lime is the odd element here, and the one that makes it work. Rye and sweet vermouth alone would be a Manhattan going soft; the acid and the orange liqueur pull the whole thing upright and give it a snap.

Rattlesnake in a clear shallow coupe styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Rattlesnake

StrongShakenSour

Absinthe is the whole trick. Under the foam this is a plain rye sour running slightly short on sugar, until the anise arrives late and spreads itself across the finish.

Palmer in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a mountain lodge bar with timeworn oak, dark wool and rough local stone.

Palmer

StrongStirredSour

No sugar anywhere in this one, which is the point and also the risk. Eight milliliters of lemon and a couple of dashes of bitters against a full measure of rye, so the whiskey has nowhere to hide. Pour something you would drink neat.

Scotch Sour in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a private library bar with deep olive leather, natural creases, off-centre seams and aged walnut.

Scotch Sour

StrongShakenSour

The whiskey sour made with Scotch: whisky, lemon and sugar shaken cold. Smoke and citrus in easy balance.

Irish Whiskey Sour in a heavy low rocks glass styled in a small jazz bar with oxblood plaster, old brass trim and scratched dark wood.

Irish Whiskey Sour

StrongShakenSour

Grain sweetness instead of rye pepper, and no smoke at all. The lemon has less to fight here, so the drink comes out rounder and easier than a bourbon sour, which makes it the one to hand somebody who says they don't like whiskey.

Scotch and Soda in a tall straight-sided highball glass styled in a neighborhood speakeasy with irregular dark-walnut shelves and worn black soapstone.

Scotch and Soda

MediumBuilt in glassHighball

The plainest of pleasures: good Scotch stretched with soda over ice. The point is the whisky — so pour one you like.

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