Bourbon
Also called bourbon whiskey, Kentucky straight bourbon
America's corn whiskey: a mash of at least 51% corn, distilled to no more than 160 proof and aged in charred new oak barrels, with no minimum age unless labeled 'straight' (two years). Sweet, round and vanilla led, it anchors the Old Fashioned, the Whiskey Sour and a rounder Manhattan.
- vanilla
- caramel
- charred oak
- corn sweetness
- baking spice
- dried cherry
- toffee
Origin
US federal law defines bourbon by process rather than place within the country: whiskey from a fermented mash of at least 51% corn, distilled at or below 160 proof, entered into charred new oak at or below 125 proof, with no neutral spirit, coloring or flavoring. Only whiskey made in the United States may be called bourbon. 'Straight bourbon' adds at least two years in those barrels, and any whiskey under four years must state its age. Most is made in Kentucky, but the law does not require it.
Common uses
- old-fashioned
- whiskey-sour
- manhattan when a softer, sweeter profile is wanted
- boulevardier
- mint julep
- a highball with ginger ale
Pours that use it
- Classic
Boulevardier
Bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth: the Negroni's Paris cousin
A stirred bitter-sweet whiskey cocktail from 1920s Paris: bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth, served over a large cube or up with an orange twist.
WhiskeyStirredEasy - Classic
Manhattan
Rye and sweet vermouth, stirred to a dark gloss
The classic New York whiskey cocktail: rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters, stirred with ice and served up with a brandied cherry.
WhiskeyStirredEasy - Classic
Old Fashioned
Whiskey, sugar, bitters and the patience to stir
The original whiskey cocktail: bourbon or rye stirred in the glass with a dissolved sugar cube and Angostura bitters, served over a large ice cube with an expressed orange peel.
WhiskeyBuiltEasy - Classic
Whiskey Sour
Bourbon, lemon and sugar: the American sour at its plainest and best
A shaken bourbon sour: bourbon, fresh lemon juice and simple syrup, with optional egg white dry-shaken for a silky foam. Served over ice or up.
WhiskeyShakenIntermediate
Sources
- 27 CFR 5.143 Whisky (standards of identity), Cornell Legal Information Institute · primary source, retrieved 2026-10-11
- 27 CFR 5.74 Statements of age and percentage for whisky, Cornell Legal Information Institute · primary source, retrieved 2026-10-11