Sun's Out, Drams Out - 5 Whisky Cocktails You Must Try This Summer

Sun's Out, Drams Out - 5 Whisky Cocktails You Must Try This Summer

Imagining warm summer nights with a cocktail in hand might not call up images of Whisky, but we’re here to tell you it’s the perfect summer Spirit.


Nothing could be better than enjoying a fruity or spicy dram in the summer. The warmth makes the flavor shine.

Summer is the season that calls for cocktails. These are perfect for making at home to impress friends, or ordering at a bar.

1. The El Camino

A mix of Whisky and Mezcal, a Mexican Spirit made from the Agave plant, this is a fresh cocktail for those hot summer nights.

Most recipes recommend a Rye Whiskey, so we’re going to suggest a Bulleit Rye, which is packed with flavor.

Ingredients

- 1 part Mezcal
- 1 part Bulleit Rye Whiskey
- 1 Tbsp Benedictine
- 4 dashes Paychaud’s Bitters
- Orange peel to garnish

Instructions

Build the drink in a rocks glass over ice, stirring for thirty seconds with each ingredient that it added. The Paychauds and Benedictine really bring out the spices and warmth of the Mezcal which adds a whole other level of flavor to the Rye.

2. Peated Highball

A Highball is a very common Whisky cocktail, but its art is in its simplicity. Served over a sphere of ice and with only two ingredients, it’s as easy going as possible. That’s what makes it so refreshing.

There is plenty of Highball recipes out there but we suggested going for Ailsa Bay Single Malt, which is sweet and peaty. The sweetness is full of fruits and vanilla and the peated flavors are earthy and smoky. The warmth is perfect with the saccharine notes.

Peated Highball cocktail

Ingredients

- 2 parts Ailsa Bay Single Malt
- 3 parts club soda
- Lemon to garnish

Instructions

Simple; tall glass, pack it with ice, add the Whisky first - that’s important - and stir for 30 seconds, then add more ice and finally add the soda to the brim.

3. O’Sherry

Made with Irish Whiskey, this cocktail, courtesy of Tullamore D.E.W., combines Whiskey and Sherry.

The spice and the heat from the Whiskey are perfect companions. Sherry is already a major part of the Whiskey story, with many Sherry casks being used to mature malt.

This cocktail brings the two together in a sweet, dessert like partnership. This is the recipe, as suggested by Tullamore D.E.W. (with a few suggestions from us).


O’Sherry cocktail

Ingredients

- 50ml Tullamore D.E.W. Original Irish Whiskey (or your favorite Irish dram)
- 10ml Vermouth
- 10ml Sherry (a little more than originally suggested)
- 2 dashes of chocolate bitters

Instructions

As with El Camino, gently build this one in a rocks glass of your choice, slowly but surely, lots of stirring and lots of patience.

4. Brown Derby

An excellently sweet cocktail, the Brown Derby is perfect for enjoying alongside summer fruits on a cool evening. It is named for a chain of restaurants in California that opened in the early 1920s and celebrates America’s love of Bourbon.

Brown Derby cocktail

There are lots of ways to make the Brown Derby and some recipes suggest using Maple Syrup instead of honey, but we much prefer it with honey. Here’s how we do it.

Ingredients

- 50ml Widow Jane 10 Year Old Bourbon
- 40ml pink grapefruit juice
- 10ml honey

Instructions

The honey and grapefruit add a fruity, earthy sweetness that really brings out the deeper notes in the Widow Jane. Perfect for summer.

5. Whisky Smash

Packed with mint and garnished with lemon, this is a cooling, refreshing cocktail with big flavors.

It is usually made with a Bourbon, being an American cocktail, but we suggest trying it with Auchentoshan American Oak. This dram has been matured in first fill American oak casks and has a wonderfully sweet flavor profile, with lots of citrus notes, making it the perfect Scotch for a Whisky Smash.

Whisky Smash cocktail

Ingredients

- 10 mint leaves
- 70ml Auchentoshan American Oak
- 30ml fresh lemon juice
- 20ml simple syrup

Instructions

For this one, fill a mixing tin with all the ingredients and shake hard for 45 seconds then strain over ice in a coupe glass. Muddle the mint and lemon together before adding the other ingredients to really encourage their flavors to come out.

Have you tried any of these or perhaps you have your own versions you'd like to share with the Flaviar community? Share in the comments below.

*Photo source

  • Cover photo Whisky cocktail beach party - PHOTO: https://unsplash.com/ - Marvin Meyer
  • Picture numbers 1 Peated Highball cocktail - PHOTO: https://unsplash.com/ - Adam Jaime
  • Picture numbers 2 O’Sherry cocktail - PHOTO: https://unsplash.com/ - John Arano
  • Picture numbers 3 Brown Derby cocktail- PHOTO: https://unsplash.com/ - Michael Discenza
  • Picture numbers 4 Whisky Smash cocktail- PHOTO: https://unsplash.com/ - Adam Jaime
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