Bourbon is a type of corn-based whiskey originating in the U.S. It’s both distilled and aged in American oak barrels for a rich, smokey, and smooth spirit that’s inspired plenty of classic cocktails.
Bourbon is my favorite type of whiskey, and it tastes great when blended with springtime ingredients. I have compiled a list of my favorite spring bourbon cocktails for you to explore below.
I’ll start with a whiskey recipe that’s inspired by one of the most popular Springtime holidays: St. Patrick’s Day!
This recipe blends your favorite bourbon with lemon simple syrup and blackberries in a shaker.
The delicate blackberries burst in the shaker to combine with yellow simple syrup and golden whiskey, giving this drink a lovely bluish hue.
The Old Fashioned is the quintessential bourbon cocktail, combining bourbon, bitters, and sugar.
Instead of simple syrup or sugar, this recipe uses Elderflower liqueur to combine with angostura bitters and bourbon.
You still get an orange infusion with the addition of orange peel garnish. The floral sweetness of St. Germain makes this Old Fashioned ripe for spring.
This simple three-ingredient recipe is a cheerful spring cocktail. Its name features its three ingredients, blending peach schnapps, lemon extract, and bourbon.
Lemon extract is a concentration of intense citrus flavor and a sour punch that helps to balance the sweetness of the peach schnapps. Still, this is a cocktail for fans of sweet flavors.
As the name implies, this Bourbon Smash comes together by smashing its non-alcoholic ingredients together to release their aromas and flavors.
This recipe muddles fresh mint leaves in simple syrup and freshly cut lemon wedges for a minty, zesty foundation.
The opposing cooling mint and warming bourbon give you a powerful tingle from start to finish.
As bourbon is a Southern tradition, it’s only logical to include another tenant of Southern drinking tradition with this spike sweet tea cocktail.
This recipe comes compliments of Trader Joe’s thus calling for their signature sparkling black tea with peach juice along with Trader Joe’s clover honey.
Sweet peach tea receives Bourbon’s smokiness beautifully, and the carbonation makes it extra-refreshing.
This festive spring cocktail is the perfect drink for an elegant dinner party.
It blends bourbon, lemon juice, and raspberry preserves for a bright, tangy, and sweet cocktail. The dash of bitters dresses this cocktail up and neutralizes its sweetness.
I think this drink pairs wonderfully with a spring medley pasta dish.
The Sidecar is a classic cocktail, which means it’s a simple recipe.
It blends equal parts orange liqueur and lemon juice with three parts bourbon in a cocktail shaker with ice.
This cocktail showcases citrus in all its glory and is a perfect balance of sweet, tart, and smokey.
This sophisticated spring bourbon cocktail has you make a strawberry shrub, a funky mixture of fermented strawberries with champagne vinegar.
It uses this tangy strawberry concoction in conjunction with a rich, spicy bourbon and elderflower liqueur.
The result is a complex flavor profile that is fruity, floral, and spicy with a dark red hue.
If you’re up for a challenge, this Bourbon Peach Smash is a show-stopping cocktail that’ll earn you points with the pros.
It’s a smash cocktail, muddling whole peaches with brown sugar simple syrup, and mint to release a sweet peach flavor with a minty cool finish.
The bourbon adds smokiness and baking spices to the mix. You can top it with soda or ginger ale. I like ginger ale for a spicier flavor profile.
Bourbon is known for its rich flavor notes, containing baking spices, vanilla, and caramel mid-palate.
This classy Champagne Bourbon Cocktail enhances bourbon’s flavor palate by adding real vanilla bean simple syrup.
The bubbly champagne adds a refreshingly dry finish. It almost tastes like a boozy vanilla coke.