10 New Bourbon Cocktails to Drink

Bourbon has a way of making itself known. And these 10 innovative cocktails--from stirred spirit-forward drinks braced with smoky or bitter touches to lighter, fruity libations--conjure the warming essence of the last few months of a year.

1. #37¾


Head bartender Jeffrey Moll will create a new iteration of this drink each season for this upcoming spot. Each drink will also feature a different fraction (37¼, 37½, etc.). The three-quarter features bourbon, Big O ginger liqueur (a local Missouri spirit), plus house-made crème de rhubarbe liqueur and house-made BBQ bitters. The finishing touch? A canopy filled with applewood smoke.

2. 8½


The entire cocktail list is inspired by Italian cinema, including this drink named for the Fellini classic. Tall and creamy, it's made with Elijah Craig 10-year-old bourbon, Clement Creole Shrub, Branca Menta and coconut milk then garnished with an orange "flag."

3. Buffalo Soldier


Head bartender Dan Rook crafted this breakfast-inspired flip for the restaurant's brunch menu. Its ingredients: Buffalo Trace bourbon, a whole egg, maple syrup, crumbled bacon, Peychaud's bitters and powdered sugar. Worth it for the crisp bacon strip garnish alone.

4. Dixie Bramble


Beverage manager Eduardo Guzman makes this pretty pink drink with Buffalo Trace bourbon, Bitter Truth Elderflower Liqueur, lemon and blackberry grenadine.

5. Game of Thrones


Named for the notoriously dark TV show, this appropriately dark and bitter drink mixes Bulleit bourbon, Demerara, Angostura bitters and Regan's No. 6 orange bitters, plus cedar smoke.

6. Get a Job You Lazy Plum


The name may draw a giggle, but the drink is serious stuff. Drawing on the restaurant's Pan-Asian concept, head bartender Jeff Spear combines Japanese plum wine with Bulleit bourbon and Angostura bitters for a subtly sweet-spiced profile.

7. Good Ol' Boy


This particularly complex cocktail, created by Mike Di Tota, starts with brown-butter bourbon and house-made spiced burnt-orange syrup. It's then mixed with Luxardo Amaro Abano, pear nectar, lemon and Angostura bitters and topped with a pear slice speared on a bamboo pick.

8. John Shenk's Redemption


Creamy and delicious, this drink mixes Michter's bourbon with Luxardo amaretto, lemon, raspberry, egg white and black walnut bitters for the ultimate mash-up of Flip and Amaretto Sour.

9. Smashing Leaves


Here, bourbon takes on Asia-inspired flavors, rounded out with kumquats, lemon and shiso leaves.

10. Southern Belle


Bearing a passing resemblance to a stone fruit-inflected Julep, this highball showcases Woodford Reserve bourbon, apricot preserves, lemon and mint.

Cocktails for Your Labor Day Celebration

Labor Day looms. Do you know what you’ll be drinking as summer heads toward its end?

If you’re down to the wire and party guests are on the way, you don’t have time for crafting infusions and syrups. Enter these last-minute cocktails that require only three or four ingredients. Refreshing, bubbly and ready in seconds, there’s an option for every Labor Day party plan.

1. OUT TO SEA: THE PERFECT STORM

Charting a course for warmer waters with your friends? Consider this glass your trusty first mate. Spiced rum, lime juice and bitters make waves when topped with ginger beer and will keep your crew cheerful no matter the weather.

2. GARDEN PARTY: BULLEIT MINT JULEP
Here’s an excuse to throw one last backyard bash while your herb garden’s still got legs. You already have the mint. Now muddle it into an edgy Julep made with spicy rye whiskey (instead of bourbon) and a slip of simple syrup.

3. PICNIC IN THE PARK: FRENCH 65

When French 75s are a bit too strong for your shindig, swap them for this carefree younger cousin. The French 65 treats Cointreau and Angostura bitters to a round of Champagne, creating an ultra-quaffable picnic drink.