Cask Strength Daily

// CASK STRENGTH DAILY

Cocktail Recipes

Classic bourbon and rye cocktails, done properly , or, if you'd rather skip the shaker, how to serve a bottle straight.

Prefer to drink it straight? See how to serve it →

Bourbon

Boulevardier

Campari and sweet vermouth are both assertive, bitter-forward ingredients that can flatten a quiet whiskey entirely. A higher-proof or cask-strength bourbon has enough presence to stay in the conversation rather than just adding sweetness.
Bourbon

Highball

Dilution here is heavy and constant, so this drink is built to be light and easy to sip slowly rather than to showcase a nuanced pour; a solid standard-proof bottle disappears less than you'd expect, and there's little reason to reach for something rare or expensive.
Rye

Manhattan

The vermouth softens and sweetens the pour, so a rye with real backbone — enough proof and spice to stay distinct once mixed — keeps this from tasting like watered-down vermouth.
Bourbon

Old Fashioned

This is a spirit-forward drink with minimal dilution, so the bourbon's own character carries the glass. A higher-proof, standard-mash-bill bottle holds up well; a low-proof pour tends to disappear under the sugar and bitters.
Bourbon

Presbyterian

A close cousin of the plain highball; splitting the mixer between ginger ale's sweetness and club soda's crisper carbonation keeps the drink from tasting flat over a long, slow round of drinks, without needing anything more than a dependable standard-proof bottle.
Rye

Sazerac

Traditionally built on rye rather than bourbon, and the spice and pepper of a high-rye mash bill plays directly against the anise from the absinthe rinse. Because it's served without dilution from ice, proof matters even more here than in a standard stirred drink.
Bourbon

Whiskey Sour

Citrus and sweetener mute a lot of a whiskey's proof burn, so this is a forgiving drink — a solid, mid-proof standard bourbon does the job without needing to reach for something rare or expensive.