14 Unexpected Mixers To Try With Bourbon

Bourbon is one of those drinks that everyone has an opinion on, and what to mix it with is something people discuss at great length. Most of the time, all of these conversations about which mixers are the best come back to the same couple of beverages: Soda, cola, and ginger ale. However, while these drinks can certainly hit the spot, they're far from the only things you can mix your bourbon with. In my years in hospitality, both working the bar and as a restaurant server and manager, I've come across countless different combos of bourbon and mixers that hit the spot in different ways — and there are a lot of options out there that most folks don't think about.

While some unexpected mixers are just normal drinks that aren't usually paired with whiskey, like cold brew coffee or ice tea, others are a little more out there. For example, I bet you've never thought about putting olive juice in your bourbon, but it can take the drink to new heights. Other lesser-used mixers are additions that you'd commonly find in other cocktails, like amaro or grenadine, but which really bring bourbon to life in interesting ways. Avoid getting your bourbon order wrong, and try out these mixers that'll really change up your whiskey game.

Grenadine is a common ingredient in cocktails, but when it comes to bourbon it usually remains completely untouched. Well, that's all about to change. Grenadine's flavor profile works exceptionally well with bourbon, and helps to cut through some of its intensity with its rich sweetness. This sugary nature brings out the vanilla and honey notes in bourbon, and also cuts through the oaky nature of more heavily aged varieties. Plus, its tart edge brightens up the liquor and helps reduce the overt smokiness of some cheaper brands.

Mixing grenadine in bourbon is as simple as adding a splash to your drink and adding some ice. You don't need a lot; grenadine is pretty intense, and a little goes a long way. If you want to balance out its flavors even more, one go-to cocktail I like to make for folks who like their bourbon on the sweeter side is a Kentucky Sunrise. A spin on a classic tequila sunrise, to make this cocktail you take a Kentucky bourbon and add a splash of grenadine, before topping up your glass with orange juice. Serve it with an orange slice on the side, and with plenty of ice to keep it cool.

Cranberry juice is a super common mixer for certain alcohols — so why not bourbon? Honestly, I don't know the answer. Cranberry juice isn't most people's first choice for a mixer for bourbon, but it really works. There's a sharpness to cranberry juice that cuts through heavier, smokier bourbons, and its sweetness pairs with bourbon's vanilla edge. On an aesthetic level, too, the deep red of the juice just looks good with your bourbon. It's a great choice for folks who like their mixers light, bright, and dramatic.

To mix cranberry juice with bourbon, I usually treat it like any other long drink: Add a shot (or two) of the whiskey, pour in plenty of ice, and then top up your glass with cranberry. However, some people find that they want either a bit more sweetness or a few more flavor dynamics that can bring the whiskey to life. If that's the case, you might find that a dash of simple syrup adds a touch more intensity to the drink, or a splash of ginger ale gives it a pepperiness that plays into the bourbon's spicier notes. The choice is yours, though: Cranberry's a pretty versatile base.

Anyone who's ever had an Irish coffee will tell you how well the taste of whiskey and everyone's favorite breakfast drink go together. However, most people enjoy the combo warm — and we're a bigger fan of opting for cold brew. Using cold brew as a mixer leans heavily into the coffee notes of bourbon, and somehow helps unlock its sweetness a little more, with the bitterness of the coffee underpinning the rest of the flavor profile. Cold brew also has a chocolatey intensity that hot coffee sometimes doesn't exhibit as well, which helps to make the combo of the two just that bit more mellow. You'll also probably find that drinking it burns your throat less, which is always a pretty good thing.

What I like to do with cold brew and bourbon, though, is to sweeten things up. Just mixing the two together can work, but it doesn't quite unlock the combo's true potential. Instead I like to make a twist on an espresso martini, by combining whiskey, cold brew, syrup, and a dash of heavy cream. It's a drink that's especially good as a dessert.

Champagne and bourbon? Yep, it's a thing, folks. You might not think that the dry, crisp, elegant notes of champagne work super well with the heavier, woodier flavors in bourbon — but that contrast is what makes the duo pop. Champagne and bourbon are the base of the Kentucky 75, a variation on the popular French 75, which is typically made with gin. The dry champagne (you can also use any other sparkling wine) helps to temper bourbon's sometimes overwhelming taste, and it also adds an effervescence which lightens up the bourbon well. The bourbon, in turn, fills out the champagne's flavor and gives it a little bit more of a kick.

You might find that it's not quite enough to mix just champagne and bourbon and call it a day, though. If you're making a Kentucky 75, you'll also want to add some simple syrup into the mix. Otherwise it'll all get too heavy, and there won't be any sweetness to balance things out. A dash of Angostura bitters can also add some nice bitterness that creates a complex twist in the drink.

As mixers go, they don't come as unexpected as olive brine. However, I'm willing to bet that you'd be amazed at what it does in a bourbon. This mixer used to be my go-to when people wanted to be surprised by a mixed whiskey drink, and folks were universally amazed by how effective the combo is. Adding olive brine to a cocktail is a smart way to use up leftovers and add a meatiness to bourbon which rounds out its flavors in ways you wouldn't expect. The brine's saltiness accentuates each individual note in the whiskey. That roundness helps to stop the bourbon from tasting too smoky, but doesn't reduce any of its inherent complexity.

Now, it must be said that using olive brine comes with a caveat: You shouldn't just mix the two and call it a day. Instead, you should combine it with a simple syrup. While the saltiness of olive brine perks up bourbon, it needs something to balance it out, and the sweet-savory combo creates a dynamite drink. Bear in mind, too, that you probably won't want to make this a long drink: Keep it short, so as not to overwhelm your palette.

Cream soda is kind of a slept-on drink, right? I've always considered it to be the most retro of all the sodas out there, and the one that's used in the most narrow way. If you're not whipping it out to make an ice cream float or drinking it straight out of the can, it's hard to know what to do with it. Well, I've got the solution: Use it as a mixer with your bourbon.

This is an unexpected choice, but a fantastic one. Cream soda leans into bourbon's vanilla flavors nicely, and adds a sweetness to the drink without overtaking it. It also helps to cut through bourbon's astringent qualities, and picks up its honeyed notes. Although it can be a little overwhelming when it's drunk on its own, when it's mixed with bourbon it kinda mellows out and acts as a backing singer to the liquor's lead vocals. Crucially, though, you should always serve cream soda and bourbon as cold as possible. Something happens when it warms up too much, and cream soda can taste a little (for want of a better word) funky. Keep it cool, and it'll stay crisp.

Guava juice isn't used nearly enough as a mixer, in our opinion — and when it's combined with bourbon, it creates a flavor dynamic that, quite frankly, slaps. Guava juice has a tart-sweet taste that's the antithesis to bourbon, with all its smoky, honeyed intensity. Its bright, almost vegetal flavor helps to lift the bourbon out of itself, and stops it from tasting too dense and meaty. The two come together to make a seriously punchy drink, especially when you serve it ice cold.

Guava juice and bourbon also serve as the basis for a smoked guava bourbon smash, which adds Cointreau, lime, and chili. This drink is almost like an amped-up margarita. The Cointreau gives the combo a punch of citrus flavor and a sweetness that stops the guava juice from being too tart (with the lime juice filling in that tartness in a different way). The chili, meanwhile, gives it a gentle heat that allows the drink's flavors to play on the tongue for longer than you'd think. It's tropical, bright, and warming, all at once.

If you've ever bought into the idea that coconut water can prevent a hangover, this next one's for you. Not only will the combo of coconut water and bourbon provide you with some of the electrolytes you need to stave off a headache, mixing the two together will provide an interesting take on the classic duo of whiskey and water. A dash of coconut water can pull the acrid intensity out of your bourbon, while simultaneously awakening some of its sweeter notes. The lightly tropical flavor that coconut water provides also gives your drink just that bit more excitement, and its brightness helps to awaken the bourbon's vanilla tones. It also has enough flavor to make a slightly longer drink, although you might want to add some syrup if that's the case to create a bit more intensity.

If you want an extra twist on this combo, opt for coconut-flavored sparkling water instead. This mixer is light enough not to take over your bourbon, but its tropical notes wake the drink up — and that's only contributed to by its effervescent nature. I like to think of this mixer as an entryway into drinking bourbon, as it gives you all of the notes in the drink without them being overwhelming.

The world of amaro is wide and extensive, and it's important to remember that it's not just one drink. Well-known amari include Aperol, Amari, Fernet-Branca, and Cynar, and while they all have slightly different flavor profiles, all of them go surprisingly well with bourbon. The herbal notes of an amaro play well with bourbon, and add a bitterness and a sweetness to the drink. These two components fill in some missing pieces in bourbon's flavor palette, and help to add light and shade to the drink.

It's worth remembering that amari can be fairly strong (some of them come in at almost 30%) and so when using it as a mixer, you want to make your drinks as short as possible. Use the negroni, an amaro-heavy cocktail, as an example: Opt for a small amount of bourbon and level everything out with amaro. Make sure to add plenty of ice, too. The somewhat medicinal nature of amaro can sometimes overwhelm the bourbon if you add too much, and adding ice can help to dilute things slightly and temper the flavors in your glass.

Boy, oh boy — I love this one. Cherry juice pairs so well with bourbon that it's shocking that more people don't use it as a mixer. This juice adds a lot of weight to bourbon, while still giving it that all-important sweetness. The slightly dusky and full flavor profile of cherries works well with the vanilla flavors in bourbon, and also plays well into its caramel tones. Plus, its tartness helps to undercut the heaviness of the combo.

Bourbon and cherry juice can work well when paired simply, but one way I love to combine them is in a cherry old fashioned. You simply take equal parts cherry juice and bourbon, and mix them with a splash of lemon juice and maple syrup. Stir the drink together, add some Angostura bitters, and finish with a twist of orange rind. Oh, and don't forget to garnish it with a fresh cherry, too. While maraschino cherries work well, a fresh one will give it that hint of class that bourbon deserves.

It's kinda wild that more people haven't figured out that the combo of iced tea and bourbon really hits the spot. Ice tea, in all its sweetness, herbaceous-ness, and ever-so-slight savoriness, fills out all the dimensions that bourbon kinda lacks. Beyond that, it has a seriously refreshing note that makes bourbon taste that much lighter, and stops the liquor from getting too weighty. It's the perfect porch-side drink at the end of a long day, when the sun's setting but the heat is still in the air.

The best part about using iced tea and bourbon is that the combo is enough on its own. You don't need to add sweeteners (unless you like it super sweet, that is) or additional liqueurs or flavorings — there's a roundedness to the combo which really hits the spot. Having said this, iced tea is also versatile enough that it can take on loads of different flavors thrown at it. Add a twist of lemon, a little mango juice, even a sprinkle of chili flakes. It'll all go well with the central flavor profile of the tea, and the bourbon will slot in nicely alongside them.

Did you know that Mountain Dew was originally made as a bourbon mixer? I'm willing to bet you didn't, but it's true: This lurid lemon-lime drink was first intended to cut the flavor of bourbon and prevent it from being too overwhelming on the palette. Somewhere down the line, though, people forgot that Mountain Dew was meant to be mixed with whiskey, and started just enjoying it as a drink on its own. While you can definitely do that, spare a thought for it next time you're looking for a mixer.

Mountain Dew's citrusy, sweet taste helps to stop bourbon feeling too weighty and rich, but it also doesn't overwhelm its flavors too much. Instead, it gives the whiskey a citrusy intensity that brightens up its slightly heavy flavors, and which also cuts through any oaky notes. You'll generally want to use triple the amount of Mountain Dew to bourbon for the best effect. Any more and you'll dilute the flavor of the whiskey too much, any less and you'll make the drink a bit too harsh.

Pickle juice is generally served with bourbon as a pickleback, and there's a reason it works so well — and while it's usually served as a shot, as a mixer it's just as good. The sour, salty nature of pickle juice balances the bourbon fabulously, and helps to pull back any overt smoky notes in the whiskey. Pickle juice also has an umami flavor to it which creates a little more lift in your bourbon, and stops it from being just a drink. That's right: With pickle juice, this beverage becomes an event, y'all.

However, when it comes to adding pickle juice to your bourbon, you need to play it cool. You need much more bourbon than you do pickle juice, so as not to swamp the drink in salty flavors. You'll also need some simple syrup mixed into the beverage, and some fresh lime juice so as to ensure that you're getting a different dose of sourness.

Everyone uses soda with bourbon, which makes sense: Soda dilutes the liquor without completely diminishing its flavor, and it also provides a pleasing fizz that makes things lighter. However, it can sometimes be lacking in punch. That's where tonic water comes in. Tonic water gives bourbon a slightly tangy, bitter edge which somehow emphasises its sweet notes. Those sweet flavors are further amped up by the tonic water's sugariness. Together, these tastes add a lot of complexity to your bourbon, and its smokiness shines through super well.

The best thing about adding tonic water to bourbon is that it's available in pretty much every bar in the world: You can try this unexpected mixer at any time. Just make sure to drink your bourbon and tonic relatively quickly, if you're making it with ice. When tonic water dilutes, it loses its punchiness considerably; while soda can dilute without consequence, tonic water really flattens out. That punchiness is imperative to its success with bourbon, as without it the whole drink just tastes vague.