Keeping It Simple: My Go-To Whiskey Cocktails At Home

As much as I love whiskey, making cocktails at home can be more of a hassle than it’s worth. While I prefer to drink my whiskey neat, I do enjoy a well-crafted cocktail—but I’d rather let a professional handle that when I’m out. That said, I’ve found a new appreciation for simple, easy-to-make cocktails at home. My go-to’s are the Old Fashioned, Black Manhattan, Paper Plane, Whiskey Sour, and Kentucky Mule. These five don’t require fancy techniques or hard-to-find ingredients, making them perfect for beginners looking to dip their toes into cocktail-making.

Starting with these classics allows you to experiment—swap out different whiskeys, try new syrups or bitters, and find what works for you. They provide a great foundation for building creativity without overwhelming you. If you enjoy the process, you can always dive deeper into more complex cocktails. But for me, these five do the trick at home, and when I’m out, I leave it to the experts.