Bourbon Cocktails

Bourbon is at least 51% corn and aged in new charred oak, and those two rules produce the flavour: vanilla and caramel from the wood, a rounded sweetness from the grain. It is the approachable end of American whiskey and the reason a bourbon Old Fashioned is most people's first stirred drink.

That sweetness is also the thing to account for. A recipe written for rye and made with bourbon needs less sugar, sometimes none, and a Manhattan built this way wants a dash more bitters to keep its edge.

Bottled-in-bond is worth knowing: one distillery, one season, at least four years, exactly 50% ABV. It is a guarantee of provenance and the extra strength survives dilution better in a shaken drink.