Welcome to The Storied Recipe, a podcast about food, culture, and love.

I've curated this list of 23 Summer Bourbon Cocktails, the third post in my Summer Drinks Around the World series, in conjunction with Episode 39 I Thought My Mother Was the Strongest Woman in the World, and Kentucky Butter Cake recipe from my podcast guest, Cheryl Norris.

Cherry Bomb made with honey bourbon on deep red background with red and white checked napkin.

There is no better way than to spend these sunny days with a refreshing summer cocktail made with the best bourbon. This list was made for bourbon lovers to help you find new ways to make delicious cocktails during your summer happy hours or get-togethers. From classic combinations to innovative twists, each recipe highlights the versatility of bourbon, ensuring there's a perfect drink for every taste.

Make sure you check out my other round-up posts from the Summer Drinks Around the World series!

How to Use This List

I know that all of the drink categories are technical "cocktails", but I split them up even further by arranging them by types of cocktails. The last category was a catch-all for the cocktails that didn't fit into a specific cocktail category.
The FAQ at the bottom answers some questions about the difference between whiskey and bourbon, bourbon as an American product, and the "straight" bourbon rule.
Each recipe is formatted as the title of the recipe, followed by a "|" symbol and then the blog or person who it is from.
I categorized the list as follows: Classic Bourbon Drinks, Bourbon and Iced Tea Drinks, Bourbon Sours, Bourbon Smashes, and Bourbon Cocktails.

Classic Bourbon Drinks

A Mint Julep is traditionally made with bourbon and is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. However, the other classic cocktails listed below use bourbon instead of traditional clear spirits (e.g. gin) or whiskey (such as the Whiskey Highball) in these drinks. For example, instead of using vodka in a Moscow mule, swap vodka for bourbon, mix the bourbon with ginger beer, lime juice, fresh ice, and garnish with fresh mint, and there you have a Kentucky Mule!

Mint Julep | Love and Lemons

This classic mint julep recipe is easy to make with bourbon, simple syrup, and fresh mint. Perfect for the Kentucky Derby or any occasion!

Kentucky Mule (Bourbon Mule) | Burrata and Bubbles

This very best Kentucky mule is the perfect refreshing cocktail for bourbon lovers! Freshly squeezed lime juice, smooth bourbon and cooling ginger beer

Bourbon Rickey Cocktail | My Bartender

The Bourbon Rickey is a variation of the classic Gin Rickey. Master this classic recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Bourbon Whiskey Highball | Casual Foodist

One of the most popular classic cocktails, the Bourbon Whiskey Highball is easy to make at home. Discover the best recipe for a bourbon highball cocktail.

Old Fashioned Cocktail | A Beautiful Mess

Learn to make the classic Old Fashioned recipe using bourbon, bitters, sugar, water and an orange peel. It's perfect!

Bourbon and Iced Tea Drinks

Bourbon and iced tea are quintessentially Southern drinks on their own, so it makes sense that someone decided to put them together to make the perfect summer cocktails to beat the summer heat. Fresh strawberries are the perfect addition to your cocktail, adding a burst of sweet flavor that enhances this easy cocktail of strawberry bourbon iced tea.

Bourbon Sweet Tea Cocktail | JC Peats

Perfect for sipping on the porch all summer long, y'all will love my Bourbon Sweet Tea Cocktail! This cocktail is quintessentially Kentucky.

Bourbon Strawberry Iced Tea | Call Me PMC

Sweetened with strawberry puree, flavored with lemon, & spiked with a splash of bourbon, this delicious, refreshing cocktail is perfect in summer.

Bourbon Sours

If you're looking for a sour, sweet, and refreshing cocktail, sours are the perfect drink for you. With a touch of sophistication, sours elevate any happy hour, featuring a silky egg white that gracefully sits atop your zesty beverage, sure to impress all your guests.

The Forbidden Flower Sour | An Elderflower & Pomegranate Bourbon Cocktail | Feast In Thyme

Made with tart juice and sweet St. Germain elderflower liquor, the Forbidden Flower Sour is a potent and refreshing pomegranate bourbon cocktail, ideal for relaxing after a long day.

Blackberry Bourbon Sour | The Perks of Being Us

A blackberry bourbon sour is an exceptional cocktail that’s guaranteed to set the tone for any party or gathering! The key to its irresistible flavor lies

New York Sour Cocktail | Zestful Kitchen

A classic cocktail—the New York Sour! Featuring rye whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white and red wine. Simple, stunning, and delicious!

Bourbon Smashes

Smashes are refreshing cocktails that are perfect for warm weather during the summer, but they aren't specific to bourbon drinks. It is more of a method of creating a great cocktail than it is a prescription for one specific alcoholic beverage. The main ingredients in a smash are typically seasonal fruit (orange slices, peach slices, lemon wedges, etc.), a spirit as the base, ice (this is a must), typically a herb or mint sprig of some kind, and optionally you can add some soda water or club soda to your drink.

source: Imbibe Magazine

Tamarind Bourbon Smash | Stella 'n Spice

A delicious twist on the classic whiskey smash- this cocktail is made with mint, lemon juice, bourbon, and homemade tamarind simple syrup.

Peach and Basil Bourbon Smash | The Boozy Ginger

This Peach And Basil Bourbon Smash Cocktail is a delicious late summer cocktail made with simple fresh ingredients.

Strawberry Bourbon Smash | Chasing the Seasons

Celebrate the strawberry harvest with a Strawberry Bourbon Smash! Enhanced with fresh mint & a dash of balsamic instead of bitters, serve over crushed ice.

Blackberry Bourbon Smash | Renee Nicole's Kitchen

5-Minute blackberry bourbon smash is a refreshing twist on a classic whiskey smash. Use fresh or frozen blackberries and no simple syrup!

Bourbon Cocktails

It's time to break out your cocktail shaker for these delicious bourbon-based cocktail recipes! I'll admit, I thought bourbon was typically enjoyed straight, perhaps with a few large ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass. However, when I found these recipes that combine bourbon with fresh juice (orange juice, grapefruit juice, fresh lemon juice, etc.) or fresh fruits, it changed my perspective. The resulting cocktail is equal parts sweet, refreshing, and cold, making these recipes the top summer bourbon cocktails in my book.

Bourbon Passion Fruit Cocktail | Ricardo Cuisine

This fruity bourbon cocktail is the ultimate drink for a summer day!

Cherry Bourbon Drink | The Fresh Cooky

This simple recipe for a Cherry Bomb drink is "the bomb"! Fresh cherries muddled with rich bourbon, vanilla, lemon juice, a surprise ingredient and a splash of club soda make the ultimate Cherry Bourbon Smash!

The Monarch: A Brown-Sugar Bourbon Cocktail with Thyme and Lemon | Nerds With Knives

Inspired by summer nectar, we created a cocktail with Brown Sugar Bourbon, adding thyme, lemon and elderflower. It's herbal, smooth, and very drinkable.

The Gold Rush Cocktail | Beaming Baker

Sweet honey, bright lemon, and belly-warming bourbon combine in the Gold Rush Cocktail. A show-stopping drink that's easy, elegant, and fun!

Brown Derby Cocktail | Kitchen Swagger

The brown derby cocktail is made with bourbon, grapefruit juice, and honey syrup. A citrusy smooth whiskey-based cocktail.

Paper Plane Cocktail | A Beautiful Mess

Learn to make a Paper Plane cocktail using equal parts bourbon, Aperol, amero and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Bourbon Ginger Ale Cocktail | Feast and West

Also called the Whiskey Ginger, this spicy Bourbon Ginger Ale cocktail is the best way to warm up on a wintry night or cool down in the summer. With lime

Honey Bourbon Lemonade | Biscuits and Burlap

You just can't get more southern than a cocktail called Honey Bourbon Lemonade. Perfect for any warm weather gathering and so easy to make!

Suffering Bastard Recipe | Whimsy Soul

This is a Nazi fighting cocktail recipe called the Suffering Bastard from Cairo in World War II. It was created by a man named...

How to Make Easy Old-Fashioned Moist Kentucky Butter Cake

Her mother, a single mom to 7 children with no time to spare, regularly made this super easy, one-bowl butter cake recipe for her appreciative children. You are sure to enjoy her mother's moist, glazed Best Ever Kentucky Butter Cake!

Easy Old-Fashioned Moist Kentucky Butter Cake Recipe

Listen to Cheryl Now

When Cheryl, an engineer by profession and also the blogger behind Bakes by Brown Sugar, and contestant on Great American Bakeoff Season 4, contacted me, it was the words she wrote about her mother that made me set up an interview as quickly as possible.

Several years after moving to Portland, OR in the 1940’s, Cheryl’s mother was a single parent of 7 kids, a self-employed seamstress, raising Cheryl, the baby of the family, all while also helping raise her grandkids. Cheryl writes, “Despite the poverty, mom always cooked amazing food with the simplest tools. I know her love was expressed in the food that she made and shared.”

Thrilled to welcome Cheryl to the podcast and to share her mother’s deceptively simple Kentucky Butter Cake, so good it’s worth burning your fingers to get the first syrup-soaked piece.

FAQ:

What is the Difference Between Whiskey vs Bourbon vs Scotch?

The short answer to this is they are all varieties of whiskey drinks. It is kind of like in Math class when you learned that all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. All whiskeys are made from fermented grain which is distilled and barrel-aged into a spirit. Though Bourbon and Scotch are varieties of whiskey, that doesn't mean that there aren't differences.

Bourbon

Has to be made with at least 51% of corn
Must be aged in new charred oak barrels
Bourbon has to be no less than 40% ABV (or 80 proof) when bottled (this is different for every other type of whiskey)
Doesn't have to come from Kentucky, but to be considered Kentucky Bourbon it must come from Kentucky

Scotch

Must come from Scotland
Usually produced by malting a single grain (barley)

sources: Food and Wine, Copenhagen Distillery

Why Can Bourbon Only be Made in the United States?

Did you know that there was a resolution passed in the Senate in 1964 that forbade bourbon from being made outside of the United States because it was a "distinctive product of the United States"? I certainly didn't. Even before that, in 1909, President Taft signed an official definition of American whiskey which outlined what could or could not be in the spirit, as this article explains from Angels Envy. Since I have already listed the permitted distilling processes for whiskey above, any addition of juices or molasses-distilled spirits during the distilling process would render it an "imitation" whiskey.

source: Angels Envy

What is the "Straight" Bourbon Rule?

This article from New Riff Distilling says that the primary difference between regular bourbon and "straight" bourbon is that it has to be aged, at minimum, two years in new charred oak barrels. Other requirements include:

If it is aged less than four years, the law requires it to be labeled with the age on the bottle
There is an 80% ABV (or 160 proof) concentration limit for the mash before bottling (aka while it is distilling), no more than that and no less than 40% ABV (or 80 proof) when it is bottled
No coloring, flavoring, or other blending materials can be added

source: New Riff Distilling