Top 10 most popular whiskey cocktails

Lynchburg Lemonade, Mint Julep, Manhattan: we looked at the most popular whisky cocktails people searched for over the past year to discover the number one drink on the tip of your tongue.

A recent survey by the IWSR showed that the growing interest in whiskey-based cocktails means that drinks made with bourbon and whiskey now make up 23% of the craft bar market in the US. Their continued domination of the market is a sign of the ever-increasing popularity of whiskey based cocktails, both at home and on a night out.

We took to Google Trends to analyse the top 10 whiskey cocktails people searched for over the past 12 months. From the Godfather of cocktails to Old Fashioned tastes, it’s an eclectic mix that shows people aren’t afraid to get out of their drinking comfort zone and try something a little zesty.

This list is based on the average number of searches each drink received during 2016. It is also worth noting that searches for whiskey cocktails in general are higher now than they have been over the past five years.

10. Pickleback

Ingredients: Pickle juice, whiskey (maybe not your most expensive bottle)

Kicking things off with what is essentially a shot instead of a cocktail, we are hoping that this was searched for out of curiosity rather than willingness to drink it. Consisting of a shot of whiskey chased by a shot of pickle brine, the odd combination has gained traction over the past year as people play a pickle-based game of chicken.

A common variation on the Pickleback, or the ‘Pisky Wickle’, is to chase the whiskey by eating a pickle instead of drinking the juice, which sounds more like something you’d expect from a university student with not much else in the fridge.

9. Rob Roy

Ingredients:  Scotch whisky, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters

Created by a bartender at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan in the late 1800s, this drink was named after the debut of an operetta of the same name based on Scottish hero Rob Roy MacGregor. The Rob Roy has been a short sharp classic at bars in high society ever since.

Similar to a Manhattan – which we will get to later – the Rob Roy is made exclusively with Scotch whisky because of its Scottish namesake, whereas the Manhattan is traditionally made with rye.

8. The Godfather

Ingredients: Scotch whisky and amaretto

Traditionally, the Godfather of all cocktails is served on the rocks, with equal parts Scotch and amaretto. If that isn’t a delicious route to a hellish hangover, I don’t know what is.

It may be tempting to try this sweet concoction as it’s served in many modern establishments – drowning in both ice and some form of wannabe-cola drink. But it’s so much better just served with a couple of friendly ice-cubes, letting the spirits do all the hard work for you.

7. Lynchburg Lemonade

Ingredients: Jack Daniel’s, triple sec, Angostura bitters, lemon juice, simple syrup, soda water

Although you can susbstitute in any bourbon, this long drink was named after the town in Tennesse that is home to the Jack Daniels distillery.

It was created and named by a restaurant in Alabama, who consequently took the distillery itself to court for allegedly pinching his recipe. The restaurateur won the court case, but wasn’t given any of the $13million he claimed in damages, save for a one dollar note from the judges own pocket.

In any case, drinking this fresh cocktail is a lot less stressful that it clearly was to come up with it.

6. Rusty Nail

Ingredients: Scotch whisky, Drambuie

This is one for the people that just can’t get enough whisky. It is literally whisky, served with a whisky-based liqueur.

The origins of the name are unknown, and were up for debate during the first stage of its life, but after a nod from the chairwoman of Drambuie in The New York Times in 1963 things were settled once and for all. Some say it was named becuase of the headache it’ll give you the morning after the night before – like you’ve hit your head on a rusty nail.

It’s as simple as it is revered, and is really very hard to ruin.

5. Mint Julep

Ingredients: Bourbon, fresh mint, sugar and water over ice

Packed full of ice, the Mint Julep is like the classy cousin that the Mojito only sees at fancy family occasions. With the same freshness, but packing more of an elegant punch, this classic cocktail is a fan favourite at the Kentucky Derby.

As there are so few ingredients, it’s important to get them right. Use the smallest leaves from the freshest mint you can find, and you can’t really use too much. Muddling the mint with the sugar is another well-used trick to get the most flavour out. Fights have broken out over less, especially in Kentucky.

4. Sazerac

Ingredients: Rye whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters and a sugar cube.

Absinthe and whiskey. There’s a bit of a trend appearing that the more popular the cocktail the more lethal it seems to be. The main ingredient was originally Sazerac Cognac, and while the brandy was replaced, the name remained. There is also now a brand of Sazerac rye whisky if you’re feeling sorry for the brand.

It can be served straight up or with ice, but the one essential part is the peel. Lemon or orange, just a twist lifts the flavour slightly away from the intensity of the absinthe.

3. Whiskey Sours

Ingredients: Bourbon, egg white, lemon juice, simple syrup

Occasionally called a Boston Sour, the first written mention of this sweet-and-sour drink dates back to 1870 in Wisconsin.

Despite the appearance over the past few years of various types of pre-made ‘sours-mix’, available in most supermarkets, to any self-respecting cocktail lover – which apparently most of the internet now claims to be – this is simply no substitute to the original classic ingredients. There’s something slightly disturbing about a ready whipped egg white.

2. Manhattan

Ingredients: Rye or Canadian whiskey, sweet red vermouth, Angostura bitters

The popular theory is that this was created in the Manhattan club in New York City in the early 1870’s, for a banquet hosted by Winston Churchill’s mother. Canadian whisky became an alternative during the prohibition, as it was more widely available.

Countless variations on this classic have appeared since then, with different versions making it sweeter, sharper, more expensive, cheaper, or swapping out the whiskey or the vermouth altogether in favour of rum or tequila.

However, you don’t reach the number two spot without gaining respect all of your own…

1. Old Fashioned

Ingredients: Bourbon or rye, Angostura bitters, sugar, water

The number one whiskey-based cocktail that people searched for in 2016 was the Old Fashioned. It’s a remarkably fruity drink when you consider it’s essentially whisky with a twist. But somehow by making it a little bit sharper, a little bit sweeter and a little bit lighter these four ingredients have made what is widely considered as the holy grail of classic cocktails.

If the fact that it’s mad man Don Draper’s drink of choice doesn’t sway you, nothing will. But in a year where Pokemon Go and Donald Trump dominated the world’s searches, it’s more than a little reassuring that people are still interested in cocktails. More so, in fact, than ever.