Whiskey, or whisky, depending on how you like to spell it, is a spirit that’s distilled from fermented grains then usually aged in barrels. The making of whiskey is fairly regulated depending on where its made. Whiskey, whisky, bourbon, rye, and Scotch are all different kinds of whiskey. There is a difference between these kinds of whiskeys, and they all have their own flavours. Some people like all kinds of whiskeys, some people prefer specific kinds.
Regardless of what kind of whiskey you like, it all mixes well with other things. Some will say that a whiskey like single malt Scotch should only be taken neat, but ultimately, the way you want to drink your whiskey is up to you.
If you’re not sure what to mix with your whiskey though, read on! We have more than a few ideas.
Mixing Whiskey And Water/Soda
One easy classic is whiskey and water or whiskey and soda water. Some people just prefer a little bit of water, others like the carbonation of the soda.
Generally if you’re mixing whiskey with water, only a little bit is used, especially for Scotch whiskey. Some people say that just a few drops of water in Scotch bring the ABV down enough to open up some flavours. Others just prefer a more diluted and subtle flavour.
Whiskey and soda works well with all kind of whiskey, whether that be Scotch, bourbon, general American whiskey, or anything else. Whiskey and soda is a popular and easy to make mixed drink that’s easy to enjoy. And it’s not just whiskey that goes well with soda. You can really do it with any spirit.
There’s no real official measurement of how much whiskey and how much soda to use. Just mix whatever seems best.
Mixing Whiskey And Cola
This is another standard, especially when we’re talking about bourbon. Bourbon and Coke is another standard mixed drink that’s easy to make in lieu of a more complicated cocktail. Bourbon has a natural sweetness to it that goes well with colas, so why not?
Rye and cola may be a little bit weird because of the spiciness, but it may work with some more boutique colas that aren’t Coke. Scotch and cola? That may be a weird one, but if you avoid smokier Scotches, it could be for you.
Mixing Whiskey And Ginger Beer
Whiskey and ginger beer, especially with a bit of lime juice, is always a good choice. Any spirit with ginger beer and lime is called a mule. You have mule variations like the Irish Mule, which uses Irish Whiskey and ginger beer. There’s also the Kentucky Mule which uses bourbon.
Feel free to play with different whiskey and ginger beer combinations to make your own mules. It can be fun (and boozy). If you find you like the mule formula, there are plenty of variations on the mule cocktail.
Mixing Whiskey And Juice
This may sound like a strange one, but whiskey and juice actually works very well. We’re starting to stray into cocktail territory, but a lot of whiskey/juice combinations, with the addition of one or two other simple ingredients work well. A Whiskey Smash, for example, is essentially just whiskey with lemon juice, a bit of sugar, and mint. If you have a lot of different juices available, a mixture of bourbon, orange juice, lemon juice, and some sugar makes you a Black Eyed Susan (add vodka for more of a kick). Or try rye, lemon juice, orange juice, and some grenadine for a Ward Eight Cocktail.
Although all these whiskey and juice combinations have fancy names, they are just essentially whiskey and juice. If you want to stay simple, just try whiskey with a bit of orange juice or even apple juice. Those basics are used in cocktails and then just dressed up a bit with fancy ingredients. But the core of it is the whiskey and juice flavour.
Mixing Whiskey And Sugar
If you want to keep things super simple, but don’t want to just have straight whiskey, make yourself an Old Fashioned with a simple mixture of whiskey, simple syrup, and bitters. That’s all it is!
An Old Fashioned obviously just sweetens the whiskey and adds some herbal flavours from the bitters. It’s a great way to experience an already well loved whiskey in different ways. If you like that, you can try an Improved Whiskey Cocktail which adds a small amount of maraschino liqueur and absinthe to the mix to add some more interest.
Like with juice, these are simple cocktails that may have fancy names, but they’re really simple and a great way to play around with whiskey while getting more into cocktails.
Whiskey Cocktails
We’ve already mentioned a few whiskey cocktails here, but we’ve emphasised the simple ones. After all, this recipe is all about what to mix with whiskey. Sure, making a whiskey based cocktail is mixing something with whiskey, but we’ve come at it from the angle of people wanting a simple mixed whiskey drink.
If you’ve enjoyed someone of the simple mixed whiskey drinks and want to expand into more complicated whiskey cocktails, we have plenty of ideas.
Something like the Whiskey Sour is a great whiskey based cocktail that works well for beginners. It takes a base of bourbon and lemon juice (with some sugar to counteract the lemon) and adds egg white. Shaking all of this adds froth and it tastes great.
Staying with a whiskey and juice theme, the Algonquin Cocktail takes whiskey and pineapple juice and adds dry vermouth for a kind of whiskey pineapple Martini type cocktail.
If you don’t want juice, there’s always the Fancy Whiskey Cocktail. This uses Scotch whiskey, triple sec, and some sugar and bitters. It’s similar to the Old Fashioned in a lot of ways, but it adds the triple sec.
From there, whiskey based cocktail can get more complex, but it’s good to start with the basics! If you’re looking for things to mix with whiskey, start basic then go from there.
What Do You Like To Mix With Whiskey?
We all have our own tastes and our own favourites. Some will like whiskey on its own, other will like a bit of soda, others will want a full blown cocktail.
Try all of these, see what your favourite thing to mix with whiskey is, and enjoy!
