Whiskey & Whisky
selecting one of the beverage styles below. DOWNLOAD RECIPES
Spooky Season
This simple sipper is perfect for when you crave the spice of a Whiskey Ginger and the warmth of an Old Fashioned.
Spooky Season Recipe:
2 oz Whiskey
.5 oz Top Note Ginger Beer Reduction*
3 dashes Aromatic Bitters
Garnish: dehydrated orange wheel
Stir all ingredients together with ice to chill, strain into a rocks glass with one big ice cube and garnish.
*Ginger Beer Reduction: Combine 1 bottle of Top Note Ginger Beer and ½ cup sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced by half. Remove from heat and let cool. Keep refrigerated.
Photo by @steph.achter
Kentucky Mule
Bolder than a Moscow Mule and with a bigger kick than a Whiskey Ginger, this simple cocktail holds nothing back in the flavor department.
Kentucky Mule Recipe:
2 oz Bourbon
.5 oz Lime Juice
4 oz Top Note Ginger Beer
Garnish: Lime Wedge, Fresh Mint
Stir all ingredients together in an ice-filled Mule mug or highball glass and garnish.
Pen Pal
This warming whiskey-tonic cocktail is reminiscent of both the Boulevardier and Negroni. Bitter and spirit-forward with enough of a citrus backbone to keep it from feeling too heavy, the Pen Pal is one to sip year-round.
Pen Pal Recipe:
1.5 oz rye
1.5 oz dry vermouth
2 oz Top Note Gentiana Tonic Water
Garnish: lemon slice
Stir all ingredients together in an ice-filled rocks glass and garnish.
Midnight in Paris
Classic and spirit-forward cocktail fans will love this Boulevardier riff! In this sparkling variation, Gentiana stands in for Campari while a smooth barrel-strength bourbon balances out the sweetness of vermouth and bitterness of the tonic.
Midnight in Paris Recipe:
1.25 oz barrel-strength bourbon
1 oz sweet vermouth
3 oz Top Note Gentiana Tonic Water
Garnish: orange slice and cocktail cherry
Stir ingredients together in a glass with ice and garnish.
Julia Momose’s Japanese Whisky Highball
“Yes, it’s two ingredients! But as long as you have high-quality ingredients, it can really be an outstanding drink that’s more than the sum of its parts.” - Julia Momose, in conversation with Top Note about the Japanese Whisky Highball
Be sure to check out our Q&A with Julia and follow her on Instagram for more beautiful and inspiring food & drinks.
Image credit: Kailley Lindman
Julia Momose’s Japanese Whisky Highball Recipe:
1.5 oz Japanese whisky, from the freezer
Top Note Club Soda No. 1, to top
Build over ice and serve bracingly cold.
Irish Ale
In this Whiskey Ginger variation, Ginger Beer takes the place of Ginger Ale, providing a bigger, bolder drinking experience and just enough kick to keep us coming back for seconds (and thirds and…)
Irish Ale Recipe:
1.5 oz Irish whiskey
5 oz Top Note Ginger Beer
Garnish: lime wedge
Stir ingredients together in an ice-filled glass and garnish.
Glasgow Mule
Glasgow Mule Recipe:
2 oz blended Scotch whisky
.5 oz Elderflower Liqueur
.75 oz lemon juice
3 dashes Angostura bitters
4 oz Top Note Ginger Beer
Garnish: fresh lemon wheel, crystallized ginger
Stir all ingredients together in a mule mug or tall glass. Top up with crushed ice and garnish.
Japanese Whisky Highball
Cocktails don't get much simpler than this, but the success of the Japanese Whisky Highball lies in its preparation and ingredients.
First, chill your glassware. You can use a classic highball glass, a beer mug or whatever you have on hand... just make sure it's cold. As for the whisky, a good-quality blend works great (we love Suntory Toki).
Refreshing and lower-proof, these taste great on a hot afternoon. Careful, they go down fast!
Japanese Whisky Highball Recipe:
1.5 oz Japanese Whisky
Garnish: expressed lemon peel, optional
Pour whisky into your chilled glass, then add ice. Pour the Club Soda down the side of the glass, avoiding the ice as much as possible. Garnish if desired.
Fallin' For You
This fall-forward recipe is spiced deeply enough for even the most diehard of PSL fans, yet refreshing and bright enough for those who tend to be turned off by all things pumpkin-flavored.
Fallin' For You Recipe:
1.5 oz Great Lakes Distillery Seasonal Pumpkin Spirit
.5 oz allspice dram
3 oz Top Note Bitter Lemon Tonic Water
Garnish: expressed lemon peel
Stir ingredients together in an ice-filled glass and garnish.
Toki Highball
You've gotta try this elevated highball inspired by Soho House Chicago.
Toki Highball Recipe:
1.5 oz Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky
1 bar spoon Pedro Ximénez Sherry Wine
3.5 oz Top Note Bitter Lemon Tonic Water
Garnish: grapefruit twist
Stir ingredients together in an ice-filled highball glass and garnish.
Old Jack Horner
Shake up (literally) your everyday highball routine with this earthy, sweet and sour recipe inspired by Chicago's Longman & Eagle.
Old Jack Horner Recipe:
1.5 oz Jim Beam Bonded Kentucky Straight Bourbon
1.5 oz umeshu (plum wine)
.75 oz lemon juice
.5 oz maple syrup
3 oz Top Note Ginger Beer
Garnish: fresh lemon slices
Combine all ingredients except Ginger Beer in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with Ginger Beer, stir, and garnish.