14 Bourbon Cocktail Recipes Perfect For A Summer Evening

If you've been making the same tired bourbon drinks all year, as the weather heats up, it's time to up your game and try some fabulous summer bourbon cocktails. While old fashioned and hot toddies are great, there are many other choices to try with bourbon. Summer calls for lots of ice, slightly sweeter options, ideally some frozen drinks, a lot of fresh fruit, citrus juice, muddled ingredients, and fresh herbs to go with your favorite bourbons.

Winter bourbon cocktails are generally packed with spices and warmth, while summer bourbon cocktails are all about staying cool and refreshed. We have plenty of drinks you've likely never dreamed of before. But, don't worry, if you like to keep things simple, we have some classics for you, too. So, if you're ready to take your favorite bourbons with you into summer, you're going to want to peruse our list of bourbon cocktails that are waiting to become your new favorites. Then, put the ingredients you don't already have on your shopping list, and you'll be all set to enjoy these refreshing bourbon-laden drinks.

If you want your summer bourbon cocktail to come in a form of a dessert drink, then frozen hot chocolate may be perfect for you. It scratches a lot of itches at once, like going out for a milkshake, having something chocolatey, and getting just the right amount of bourbon. There aren't a whole lot of chocolate bourbon cocktails out there, so this one is a real treat. 

The great thing about this drink is that it uses your favorite dark chocolate bar and Dutch-processed cocoa powder as its base ingredients. So, you can make it as decadent as you'd like. And, since it calls for an ounce of coffee liqueur, you can make it even more delicious by choosing a favorite coffee liqueur like Kahlúa or even doubling up the whiskey flavors with a coffee liqueur like Jameson Cold Brew. You turn your chocolate, milk, and sugar into chocolate milk and then whip it in the blender along with bourbon, coffee liqueur, ice, and a smidge of salt. This drink is hardly complete without a whipped cream topping and shavings from your favorite chocolate bar. 

Recipe: Luxe Spiked Frozen Hot Chocolate

Another great summery bourbon cocktail is a Kentucky mule. Swapping vodka with bourbon turns the standard Moscow mule into the Kentucky version. We also like the idea of elevating this classic with fresh, seasonal blackberries for a fruitier version of the drink, while the addition of fresh mint leaves from your herb garden make it even more refreshing. Whether you're buying or picking your blackberries, they tend to taste best picked fully ripe between the end of June and August. So, keep this drink in mind for the window of time when blackberries are at their peak.

Mules always taste better in a chilled copper mug with plenty of crushed ice. This one starts with crushed, muddled blackberries and fresh mint, and it's then topped with bourbon, lime juice, and ginger beer. Don't forget to save some blackberries, mint leaves, and lime slices to use them as garnish.

Recipe: Blackberry Kentucky Mule

Whiskey sours have been around since at least 1862, when Jerry Thomas mentioned it in "The Bartenders Guide." Because of its citrus content, it was reportedly a popular drink for sailors to use to combat scurvy on their long voyages at sea. U.S. bartenders started creating a frothy version with egg whites, often making it with American bourbon rather than whiskey.

A classic whiskey sour derives its frothy and sour nature from shaking simple syrup, egg white, lemon juice, and bourbon together. The first 25 to 30 seconds of shaking is done with ice, while the last few seconds of shaking happen without the ice. However, to make this summer day drink complete, you'll want to pour it over ice to serve. An orange slice and maraschino cherry complete the drink and make it perfect for drinking on a summer evening when you're looking for something frothy, sour, fruity, and refreshing.

Recipe: Frothy Whiskey Sour

T.J. Siegal accidentally created the gold rush cocktail when he was a customer at his friend's bar, Milk & Honey, around the year 2000. Basically, he ordered his normal bourbon sour on the rocks, sans eggs or garnish but with a new honey syrup the bar was using in its honeysuckle cocktail. The gold rush drink was born, and Milk & Honey bartenders started suggesting it to customers in their menu-less bar. Ideally, for this drink , you want a rich bourbon with some character. Next to the classic oak and vanilla notes, it's best if bourbon has some subtle fruitiness as it pairs nicely with honey.

The drink is more straightforward than you'd expect, yet all the flavors are perfectly balanced. Basically, all you need are two ounces of bourbon, a bit of freshly-squeezed lemon juice, and half an ounce of honey syrup. Shake it all together with ice, and serve it on the rocks with a lemon twist. The most challenging part of this cocktail is probably finding the right honey syrup.

Recipe: Gold Rush 

Unhappy in love? Then, this might just be the punch for you. Just hide your phone because a single Dixie cup full of Miss Patty's ridiculously strong Founder's Day punch is enough to have you drunk dialing people and perhaps doing other things you might regret the next day. Well, at least it could if you make it as strong as the one Rory, Lane, and Paris imbibed during the opening of the new Stars Hollow Museum in the TV Show "Gilmore Girls."

Founder's Day Punch is easy to drink because it has so many fruity ingredients like orange, lime, and pineapple juice, as well as maraschino cherries and grenadine. Plus, it includes Angostura bitters and is garnished with plenty of oranges, limes, and mint leaves. You can even add edible flowers to give it a fresh summer look. However, the real kicker is the two cups of bourbon that makes Founder's Day Punch notorious for being so strong. So, if that's not your aim, you might want to cut down on the bourbon just a tad.

Recipe: Gilmore-Girls-Inspired Founder's Day Punch

Many professional bartenders and home enthusiasts have made Boulevardier cocktail since it first showed up in the "Barflies and Cocktails" bar guide book in 1927. It's been the favorite of many people over the years since the writer Erskine Gynne created the drink. It was named after his Parisian magazine, which is advertised in the next to last page of the bar guide.

The recipe has remained true over the years, with the original calling for one part each of Campari, Italian vermouth, and bourbon. Campari adds a citrus note, which is why this drink works great with an orange peel twist. It may also add a bit of spice, but who says you have to save spiced drinks for winter? Served over ice, it's a great summer bourbon drink to enjoy on a hot summer night, especially if you're looking for a bourbon cocktail without a lot of sweetness, which is not a common attribute with many other summer cocktails.

Recipe: Boulevardier Cocktail

Smashes have been popular summer drinks since they first arrived on the scene sometime in the 1840s. These cocktails contain both muddled and shaken ingredients rather than ingredients that are simply stirred together. This method helps any herbs or fruits to become stronger and more prominent. When peaches start getting juicy and ripe from the end of June through August, it's the perfect time to turn them into this Peach Whiskey Smash.

You start by muddling together slices of peaches and lemon with simple syrup until you've created a sort of lemon peach juice slurry. Then you add bourbon as well as Grand Marnier, which provides a citrus note that intensifies the fruity profile of the drink. Once you stir ice that immediately chills the mix, you strain the whole thing over a glass filled with ice cubes. The final drink is best garnished with a whole peach slice and a sprig of fresh thyme.

Recipe: Summertime Peach Whiskey Smash

The herbal flavors of a Sazerac make it an excellent drink for a warm summer evening. Yes, a classic Sazerac like the one the Sazerac Coffee House first made in New Orleans' French Quarter in 1838 called for a French brandy called Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils. However, whiskey, particularly rye, became a common substitute after phylloxera decimated European vines in the mid-1800s, making brandy less readily available. With bourbon being a popular whiskey choice in the U.S., it's not uncommon to find bourbon as a Sazerac ingredient.

Sazerac has two ounces of whiskey and just a dash of absinthe that is used to rinse the glass, but the herbal notes in the absinthe turn this drink into an appropriate summer tipple. Some people make it with Herbsaint, the anise-flavored liqueur which was created as an absinthe substitute in New Orleans back when absinthe was illegal. A few dashes of Peychaud's bitters, a sugar cube, ice cubes, and a lemon peel twist for a garnish complete this New Orleans classic.

Recipe: Sazerac

While you probably don't think of strawberries often when you think of bourbon, you may rethink which fruity drinks are your summer favorites after you try a strawberry peppercorn smash. The oaky bourbon character blends well with the bite of the peppercorns and provides unexpected complexity that is elevated with refreshing fruitiness. Plus, it contains fresh herbs, which you can pluck right out of your summer herb garden.

The drink starts out by muddling basil, fresh strawberries, and simple syrup. Then, you shake the muddled ingredients together with bourbon, lemon juice, ice, and freshly-ground black pepper. The strained mixture is best served over ice with basil leaves and lots of extra strawberry slices for garnish. An alternative to basil is mint, which would give it an even more refreshing profile on a warm summer evening. You can also top it off with a bit of sparkling water to give it even more zing and a lighter texture.

Recipe: Strawberry Peppercorn Smash

It's the sparkle and citrus in a French 95 that will have you reaching for it time and again on a sultry summer evening. This is not to be confused with the French 75, which contains gin or cognac instead of French 95's bourbon. So, if you're more of a bourbon than gin fan, this one might be exactly what you've been looking for.

The French 95 is ridiculously easy to make. If you've popped open a bottle of chilled Champagne or prosecco and have a bit of bourbon sitting around, you're going to want to give it a try. The original 1977 recipe in "Jones Complete Barguide" uses powdered sugar, but we think simple syrup is easier and certainly less messy. Start out shaking together bourbon with simple syrup and lemon juice before adding ice and shaking a little more. Once strained into a glass, you simply top it off with bubbly Champagne at a ratio of one part bourbon to four parts Champagne. A fresh orange slice garnish provides a lovely addition to give it a fruity lift.

Recipe: French 95

It would be unthinkable to write an article about summer bourbon cocktails without mentioning the mint julep. This classic southern cocktail has been a staple at the Kentucky Derby since the late 1800s. But you don't have to wear a fancy derby hat to enjoy a mint julep on a lazy summer evening or even be in Kentucky (unless you really want to).

While the ingredient list for this drink is short, there are some extra steps that can help infuse more mintiness into the overall flavor profile, which is what you want. So, make your simple syrup by hand and infuse it with mint leaves as it cools. And then go one step further by muddling the cooled mint simple syrup with fresh mint leaves before combining it with bourbon. If you want to lower alcohol content, you can make a fizzy version by replacing some of the bourbon with club soda. The drink gets plenty of crushed ice as well as extra mint leaves as garnish. The mintiness of this summer bourbon cocktail is perfectly refreshing, while loading it up with plenty of ice will help cool you down.

Recipe: Mint Julep

Another classic summer drink you can make if you've got some bourbon on hand is a Manhattan. While it often calls for rye whiskey, the right bourbon can really make this drink sing. It's a drink that's been around since around the 1880s and never ceases to please the palates with its rich, mellow, and musky flavors, which tend to be soothing at the end of a long week.

A Manhattan is probably the easiest drink on our list to make, simply requiring equal parts whiskey and vermouth, a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters, and an orange peel for garnish. If you prefer a bit of sweetness, you might opt for a sweet vermouth instead of a dry one. The orange oils from the orange peel already provide a nice summery touch to this comforting drink, but maraschino cherries can easily elevate this cocktail for summer consumption. Some people go for craft citrus or cherry bitters instead of Angostura to intensify those citrusy or fruity notes. You'll probably want to serve Manhattan over ice to help you cool off.

Recipe: Manhattan

If you're looking for something different to do with your bourbon this summer, a bourbon slush cocktail is certainly worth a try. It takes a bit of patience since you need to freeze it for several hours before serving, but it's a highly-rated sweet and frozen bourbon cocktail we think you'll enjoy.

To make it, you'll combine sweet tea with lemonade concentrate, orange juice concentrate, water, and bourbon. While you could make the black tea yourself, it's even easier if you start with store-bought sweet tea. The mixture needs to sit in the freezer for at least four hours to attain its firm yet slushy texture. Once it reaches the desired consistency, simply use an ice cream scoop or spoon to add it to glasses, and top it with fizzy ginger ale. The slushy mix floats in the ginger ale but gives you something to sip while the slush melts into the drink.

Recipe: Bourbon Slush Cocktail

Our final bourbon cocktail recipe that you'll want to try this summer is a bourbon-blackberry cocktail. It's a fun one that has a lot of elements that you may not have experienced in a cocktail before. If you want to impress your summer soirée guests, this is the fruity bourbon cocktail you want to serve. One of the ingredients is Bruto Americano, which is a flavor experience in itself, with ingredients like Seville oranges, balsam fir, and California buckthorn bark, as well as cinnamon and sandalwood notes.

The drink calls for one part Bruto Americano to five parts bourbon. It also includes blackberry preserves, lemon juice, and Angostura bitters. Shake it all together, pour it over crushed ice, and then add the garnish that's going to have everyone talking: A charred and preferably still-smoking cinnamon stick, which adds a smoky element to the experience. You can char it over a gas burner or with a blowtorch before crowning each drink with it. It's summer in a glass, with a little extra something for flair.

Recipe: Bourbon-Blackberry Cocktail