Summer Bourbon Cocktails 2026: 6 Refreshing Drinks to Make Beyond the Old Fashioned
Bourbon isn't just a fireside, cold-weather spirit. With a little citrus, some fresh fruit and plenty of ice, it makes some of the most refreshing cocktails of the summer — and with National Bourbon Day on June 14 and Father's Day on June 21, there's never been a better stretch to put a bottle to work. The trick to a great summer bourbon drink is simple: keep it bright and cold. Reach for lemon, lime and ripe berries, go easy on anything that adds warmth, and pile on the ice.
Here are six refreshing bourbon cocktails to make this summer — from the timeless Whiskey Sour to a porch-perfect bourbon lemonade — plus the eight bottles we'd stock to make all of them.
Eight bourbons for your summer cocktail cart
1. The Whiskey Sour
The benchmark refreshing bourbon cocktail: 2 oz bourbon, 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice, 3/4 oz simple syrup, shaken hard with ice and strained over fresh ice. Add an egg white and dry-shake first for a silky foam if you're feeling fancy. A softer, wheated bourbon shines here — Maker's Mark 46 ($44.99) brings a smooth, vanilla roundness that balances the lemon beautifully, and Larceny Small Batch ($40.09) is another wheated pick built for sours.
2. The Bourbon Smash
Part julep, part sour, all summer. Muddle lemon and fresh mint, add 2 oz bourbon and 3/4 oz simple syrup, shake and pour over crushed ice. The mint and citrus love a bolder, oakier whiskey — Knob Creek 9 Year ($49.99) and Woodford Reserve Double Oaked ($69.99) both stand up to the muddling without disappearing.
3. Bourbon Lemonade
The easiest crowd-pleaser there is: 1.5 oz bourbon over ice, topped with fresh lemonade and a lemon wheel. Make a pitcher for the backyard and let everyone help themselves. A value workhorse is perfect here — Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond ($38.09) is 100 proof, so it holds its flavor even when stretched long, and Bulleit Bourbon ($37.09) adds a spicy rye kick that plays great with tart lemonade.
4. The Gold Rush
A modern classic and arguably the best three-ingredient bourbon cocktail going: 2 oz bourbon, 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice, 3/4 oz honey syrup, shaken and served over a big cube. The honey rounds everything off into liquid gold. Four Roses Small Batch ($37.99) and 1792 Small Batch ($34.09) both keep enough spice to cut the honey's sweetness.
5. The Mint Julep (any-day edition)
You don't need the Kentucky Derby to make a julep. Muddle mint with a little simple syrup, fill a cup with crushed ice, add 2.5 oz bourbon, stir until frosty and crown with a mint bouquet. It's the most cooling bourbon drink there is. We did a full deep-dive in our Mint Julep guide — any of the high-rye bottles above make a lively one.
6. The Bourbon Highball
When you want something long, low and effortless, nothing beats bourbon and chilled soda (or ginger ale) over plenty of ice, with a lemon twist. It's the most sessionable way to drink bourbon all summer. We broke down the technique — ratio, ice and carbonation — in our whiskey highball guide; it works with every bottle on this list.
Stock your summer bourbon bar
Most of these drinks share the same handful of bottles, so a small, smart cart goes a long way. Grab a wheated bourbon like Maker's Mark 46 or Larceny for sours, a value 100-proofer like Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond for pitchers, and a high-rye bottle like Bulleit for everything else. Celebrating June 14 the classic way? Don't miss our National Bourbon Day Old Fashioned guide, and for the bourbon lover in your life, our National Bourbon Day bottle picks. Explore it all in our Bourbon collection, our Whiskey collection, and Best Sellers. Here's to a refreshing summer.
