Whisky cocktails you can make at home

Whisky gets treated as something you're only allowed to drink neat, in reverent silence, preferably while nodding slowly. It's a shame, because some of the best drinks in the world are built on it, and most of them need three ingredients and about two minutes. You don't need a cocktail cabinet or a flair bartender's wrist. You need whisky, a couple of basics, and a glass.

A quick word before the recipes. You don't have to pour your finest single malt into these. A good, reasonably priced blend or bourbon is exactly what cocktails were designed around, and saving your special bottle for sipping is no crime. Use something you'd happily drink on its own but won't mourn mixing.

Here are four worth knowing, from a five-minute classic to the easiest long drink going.

The Old Fashioned

If you only learn one whisky cocktail, make it this one. It's older than almost every other cocktail still in regular rotation, and it's basically whisky made slightly more interesting, which is the whole point. Bourbon or rye is traditional, but a rich blend works too.

Ingredients:

• 60ml bourbon or rye whisky
• 1 sugar cube, or 1 tsp sugar
• 2 to 3 dashes of Angostura bitters
• A strip of orange peel
• A large ice cube

Method: put the sugar in the glass, soak it with the bitters and a tiny splash of water, and stir until it mostly dissolves. Add the whisky and a big piece of ice. Stir for a good twenty to thirty seconds, longer than feels necessary, to chill it and soften the edges. Twist the orange peel over the top to release the oils, then drop it in.

The stir matters more than people expect. You're not just mixing, you're adding a little water and chill that opens the whisky up, the same trick you'd use on a cask strength dram. Take your time with it.

The Whisky Sour

The drink to make for someone who says they don't like whisky. The lemon and sugar round off the spirit and turn it into something bright and easy, and it converts sceptics more reliably than anything else on this list.

Ingredients:

• 50ml bourbon or blended whisky
• 25ml fresh lemon juice
• 20ml simple syrup, which is just equal sugar and water stirred until clear
• 1 egg white, optional, for a silky foam
• Ice

Method: if you're using egg white, add everything to a shaker without ice first and shake hard for ten seconds to build the foam. Then add ice and shake again until cold. Strain into a glass over fresh ice, or into a chilled coupe if you're feeling smart. No shaker? A clean jam jar with a tight lid does the job perfectly.

The egg white is optional but worth trying once. It gives a soft foam on top and a rounder texture, and no, you can't taste it.

The Rusty Nail

Two ingredients, almost no effort, and unfairly good. This is the one for late evenings when you can't be bothered with citrus or shaking. It pairs Scotch with Drambuie, a honeyed, spiced whisky liqueur, and the two were practically made for each other.

Ingredients:

• 50ml blended Scotch whisky
• 25ml Drambuie
• A large ice cube
• A strip of lemon peel, optional

Method: add the Scotch and Drambuie to a glass over a big piece of ice. Stir gently for ten seconds. Twist a little lemon peel over the top if you have it. That's the entire recipe.

Adjust the ratio to taste. More Drambuie makes it sweeter and softer, more Scotch makes it drier and bolder. Start at two parts Scotch to one part Drambuie and move from there.

The Whisky Highball

The most underrated long drink there is, and the most refreshing thing you can do with whisky on a warm evening. The Japanese turned it into an art form, but at its heart it's just whisky and soda done with a bit of care. The care is what makes it sing.

Ingredients:

• 50ml whisky, a light blend or Japanese-style whisky is lovely here
• 150ml chilled soda water
• Plenty of ice
• A lemon wedge or strip of peel

Method: fill a tall glass right to the top with ice, more than you think you need, because lots of ice actually keeps it colder and melts slower. Add the whisky, then pour the soda water gently down the side to keep the fizz. Give it one slow stir from the bottom. Garnish with lemon.

The secret is cold everything. Cold glass, cold soda, loads of ice, and a soft hand with the stirring so you don't knock the bubbles out. It should come out crisp and barely sweet, the kind of drink you can happily have with food.

A few things that make all of these better

You don't need much kit, but a couple of small things lift every drink here. Good, big ice is the main one, because large cubes melt slowly and dilute less, which keeps your drink from going watery halfway down. Fresh citrus over the bottled stuff makes a real difference in the sour and as a garnish. And a heavy, comfortable glass changes how a drink feels in the hand, even if it does nothing to the liquid itself.

That last part is where we come in at Oak & Ember. A solid whisky tumbler for the spirit-forward drinks and some slow-melting ice for the rest will carry you through every cocktail on this page.

Pick one, pour it tonight, and don't overthink it. These were never meant to be precious. They were meant to be made and enjoyed.