Key Takeaways
- You don’t need fancy equipment or rare ingredients: Every cocktail on this list uses common pantry staples and basic bar tools you probably already own. A good bourbon, some fresh citrus, and a handful of mixers are all it takes.
- Start with two-ingredient drinks and work up: The simplest bourbon cocktails, like a Bourbon and Ginger or a Bourbon Highball, are some of the most satisfying. They’re the perfect place to start before tackling recipes with more components.
- Quality bourbon is your shortcut to a great drink: When a recipe only has a few ingredients, the bourbon does most of the heavy lifting. Starting with a flavorful, well-crafted bottle like Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon instantly elevates even the simplest mix.
Why Easy Bourbon Cocktails Are Perfect for Beginners
Scrolling through cocktail menus and recipe blogs can be intimidating. You see ingredients you’ve never heard of, tools you don’t own, and techniques that sound like they require a bartending degree. Here’s the truth: some of the world’s best bourbon cocktails are also the simplest. The Old Fashioned? Basically three ingredients. A Bourbon and Ginger? Two. The beauty of bourbon is that it’s a spirit built on flavor. The corn-forward sweetness, the vanilla and caramel from charred oak barrels, the warm spice on the finish. All of that character means bourbon doesn’t need a lot of help to taste incredible in a mixed drink.
That’s exactly why we put together this collection of 10 easy bourbon cocktails that anyone can make at home. No specialized equipment. No obscure liqueurs. Just straightforward recipes using ingredients you can find at any grocery store. Whether you’re hosting friends for the first time or just want a solid weeknight drink, these recipes deliver real flavor with minimal effort. And when you start with a bourbon that has genuine depth and character, like one from our whiskey collection, even a simple two-ingredient drink becomes something worth savoring.
What You Need to Get Started
Before diving into the recipes, let’s talk about what you’ll need. The good news: not much. Here’s your starter checklist:
- A quality bourbon: This is the foundation of everything. Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon is an excellent all-rounder for cocktails because its wheated mash bill delivers a smooth, approachable sweetness with notes of vanilla and toasted grain that shine in mixed drinks.
- Fresh citrus: Lemons and limes. Always fresh, never bottled. It makes a bigger difference than you’d expect.
- Simple syrup: Equal parts sugar and water, heated until dissolved. Make a batch and keep it in the fridge. It lasts for weeks.
- A few common mixers: Ginger ale or ginger beer, club soda, lemonade, and cola. That’s really all you need for most of these recipes.
- Ice: Lots of it. Large cubes for stirred drinks, regular cubes for shaken ones.
- Basic tools: A jigger (or a measuring cup), a spoon, and a glass. A cocktail shaker helps for a few recipes, but you can improvise with a mason jar.
That’s it. With those items on hand, you can make every single cocktail on this list.
10 Easy Bourbon Cocktails Anyone Can Make
1. Bourbon and Ginger Ale
If you’re brand new to bourbon cocktails, start here. This is the simplest, most approachable bourbon mixed drink there is, and it’s genuinely delicious. The sweetness and spice of ginger ale complement bourbon’s caramel and vanilla notes perfectly, creating a refreshing drink that comes together in about 10 seconds.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon
- 4–5 oz ginger ale
- Ice
- Lime wedge for garnish
How to Make It: Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour the bourbon over the ice, top with ginger ale, and give it one gentle stir. Squeeze a lime wedge over the top and drop it in.
Pro Tip: Want a little more kick? Swap ginger ale for ginger beer. The extra spice pairs beautifully with the toasted barrel notes in Mary Dowling’s wheated bourbon.
2. Classic Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned has been America’s favorite cocktail for over 200 years, and for good reason. It’s simple, spirit-forward, and incredibly satisfying. Don’t let the “classic” label intimidate you. This is a three-ingredient drink that takes about two minutes to make.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Mary Dowling Double Oak Cask Strength
- 1 tsp simple syrup (or 1 sugar cube)
- 2–3 dashes Angostura bitters
- Orange peel for garnish
- Large ice cube
How to Make It: Add the simple syrup and bitters to a rocks glass. Stir briefly to combine. Add the large ice cube, pour the bourbon over it, and stir gently for about 20 seconds. Express an orange peel over the drink by twisting it to release the oils, then drop it in.
Pro Tip: The Double Oak Cask Strength is exceptional here because its bold, complex character stands up to the sugar and bitters without getting lost. It’s the way this drink was meant to be made.
3. Bourbon Whiskey Sour
The Whiskey Sour is one of the most popular bourbon cocktail recipes for a reason. It’s the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and strong. Once you nail the ratio, you’ll make this on repeat.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- ¾ oz simple syrup
- Ice
- Lemon wheel or cherry for garnish
How to Make It: Add the bourbon, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a shaker with ice. Shake hard for about 15 seconds, then strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Pro Tip: Want that silky, frothy top you see at cocktail bars? Add one egg white to the shaker and do a “dry shake” (no ice) first for about 10 seconds, then add ice and shake again. It’s completely optional but looks and tastes amazing.
4. Bourbon Lemonade
This is the ultimate backyard sipper. If you can pour two things into a glass, you can make a bourbon lemonade. It’s bright, refreshing, and dangerously easy to drink on a warm afternoon.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon
- 4–5 oz lemonade (fresh or quality store-bought)
- Ice
- Lemon slice and fresh mint for garnish
How to Make It: Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour in the bourbon, top with lemonade, and stir gently. Garnish with a lemon slice and a sprig of mint.
Pro Tip: For an elevated version, make your own lemonade with fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and water. The difference is night and day.
5. Bourbon Highball
Clean, crisp, and effervescent. The Bourbon Highball is a masterclass in simplicity. It’s basically bourbon and sparkling water, and somehow that combination is greater than the sum of its parts. This is the drink to reach for when you want something light that still lets you taste the whiskey.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon
- 4–5 oz chilled club soda or sparkling water
- Ice
- Lemon twist for garnish
How to Make It: Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour the bourbon over the ice, then slowly add the club soda. Give it one very gentle stir (you don’t want to lose the bubbles). Garnish with a lemon twist.
Pro Tip: This is where a quality bourbon really shines because there’s nowhere to hide. The smooth, wheated profile of Mary Dowling Winter Wheat is perfect for this drink.
6. Kentucky Mule
The Kentucky Mule is bourbon’s answer to the Moscow Mule, and many would argue it’s even better. The combination of bourbon’s sweetness with spicy ginger beer and bright lime is absolutely addictive.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Mary Dowling Tequila Barrel Finish
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- 4 oz ginger beer
- Ice
- Lime wheel and fresh mint for garnish
How to Make It: Fill a copper mug (or any glass) with ice. Pour in the bourbon and lime juice, then top with ginger beer. Stir gently and garnish with a lime wheel and a sprig of mint.
Pro Tip: The Tequila Barrel Finish adds a fascinating layer of complexity here. The agave and oak notes from the reposado tequila cask meet the spicy ginger beer for something truly special. Grab a bottle and taste the difference.
7. Bourbon Hot Toddy
When the weather turns cold, the Hot Toddy is your best friend. It’s warm, soothing, and takes about three minutes to make. Think of it as a hug in a mug.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ oz fresh lemon juice
- 4 oz hot water (not boiling)
- Cinnamon stick and lemon wheel for garnish
How to Make It: Add the honey and lemon juice to a mug. Pour in the hot water and stir until the honey is dissolved. Add the bourbon and stir once more. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a lemon wheel.
Pro Tip: Use hot water, not boiling. Boiling water will cook off the bourbon’s delicate flavors. You want the warmth, not a steam bath for your whiskey.
8. Bourbon and Cola
Yes, it belongs on this list. The Bourbon and Cola is one of the most ordered bourbon mixed drinks on the planet, and when made with a quality bourbon, it’s legitimately great. The cola’s vanilla and caramel notes mirror what’s already in the bourbon, amplifying the sweetness and creating a deeply satisfying sip.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon
- 4–5 oz cola
- Ice
- Lime wedge for garnish
How to Make It: Fill a glass with ice. Pour the bourbon over the ice, top with cola, and stir gently. Squeeze a lime wedge and drop it in.
Pro Tip: Try a craft or Mexican cola made with real cane sugar instead of corn syrup. The difference in flavor is noticeable, and it pairs better with the natural sweetness of a wheated bourbon.
9. Mint Julep
The official cocktail of the Kentucky Derby and one of the most iconic easy bourbon cocktails in existence. It looks fancy with the silver cup and crushed ice, but it’s really just bourbon, mint, sugar, and ice. You can absolutely make this at home.
Ingredients:
- 2½ oz Mary Dowling Double Oak Cask Strength
- ½ oz simple syrup
- 8–10 fresh mint leaves
- Crushed ice
- Mint sprig for garnish
How to Make It: Place the mint leaves and simple syrup in the bottom of a julep cup or rocks glass. Gently muddle the mint (press and twist, don’t shred it). Pack the glass with crushed ice, pour the bourbon over it, and stir until the outside of the glass frosts. Top with more crushed ice and garnish with a generous sprig of fresh mint.
Pro Tip: The key to a great Mint Julep is the crushed ice. Put regular ice cubes in a clean towel and whack them with a rolling pin or heavy pan. That’s all there is to it.
10. Bourbon Honey Bee
This is the simple bourbon cocktail that will make you feel like a real mixologist. It’s a riff on the classic Bee’s Knees, swapping gin for bourbon, and the result is smooth, sweet, and absolutely delicious. Honey and bourbon are a natural pairing, and adding fresh lemon juice brings everything into perfect balance.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon
- ¾ oz honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water, stirred until combined)
- ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
- Ice
- Lemon twist for garnish
How to Make It: Add the bourbon, honey syrup, and lemon juice to a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass or over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Pro Tip: Make your honey syrup in advance and keep it in the fridge. Using straight honey in a shaker is a mess because it doesn’t dissolve well in cold liquid. The syrup solves that problem completely.
Which Mary Dowling Bourbon for Which Cocktail?
Not all bourbons are the same, and different bottles shine in different drinks. Here’s a quick guide to matching our whiskeys with the cocktails above:
- Mary Dowling Winter Wheat Bourbon: Your go-to for most of these recipes. Its smooth, wheated profile with vanilla and toasted grain notes makes it incredibly versatile. Best in: Bourbon and Ginger, Whiskey Sour, Bourbon Lemonade, Highball, Hot Toddy, Bourbon and Cola, Honey Bee.
- Mary Dowling Tequila Barrel Finish: The wild card. Its agave and oak notes from the reposado tequila cask finish add an unexpected dimension. Best in: Kentucky Mule, Bourbon and Ginger (for an adventurous twist).
- Mary Dowling Double Oak Cask Strength: Bold and complex, this one stands up to strong flavors and simple preparations that let the whiskey lead. Best in: Old Fashioned, Mint Julep.
Ready to stock your bar? Order Mary Dowling bourbon online and start mixing.
Tips for Making Better Bourbon Cocktails at Home
Once you’ve made a few of these recipes, you’ll start developing an instinct for what works. Here are a few principles that will take your bourbon cocktail recipes from good to great:
- Always use fresh citrus. Bottled lemon and lime juice have preservatives that add a metallic, flat flavor. Fresh juice costs an extra 30 seconds of effort and makes a massive difference.
- Ice matters more than you think. Use large cubes for stirred drinks (Old Fashioned, Highball) to slow dilution. Use smaller cubes in your shaker so drinks get properly cold. Never use old, freezer-burned ice.
- Don’t over-stir or over-shake. Most stirred drinks need about 20–30 seconds. Most shaken drinks need 10–15 seconds. Going longer just over-dilutes the drink.
- Taste as you go. Prefer things a little sweeter? Add another quarter ounce of simple syrup. Like more citrus? Squeeze in a bit more. These recipes are starting points, not rigid rules.
- Invest in one good bourbon, not ten mediocre ones. A single bottle of well-crafted bourbon will make better cocktails than a shelf full of bottom-shelf bottles. Quality in, quality out.
Explore More Bourbon Recipes
These 10 easy bourbon cocktails are just the beginning. Once you’ve mastered the basics, there’s a whole world of bourbon mixology waiting for you. Explore our full collection of bourbon cocktail recipes for more inspiration, from classic preparations to creative seasonal drinks. Whether you’re looking for a perfect Manhattan, a refreshing Bourbon Smash, or something totally new, we’ve got you covered.
And remember: every great cocktail starts with a great bourbon. Shop our whiskeys and discover why Mary Dowling’s legacy lives on in every glass.
Justin Pakdaman is the Marketing Director for Mary Dowling Whiskey Co., where he leads brand storytelling, digital strategy, and consumer engagement. Justin has years of experience building premium spirits brands.