How to Order a Great Whiskey Cocktail if You're New to Whiskey

August 16, 2026 · Bar, grill and good times in Ephrata

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The easiest way to order a whiskey cocktail as a beginner is to ask for something built around a lower-proof whiskey, usually in the 80 to 90 proof range, mixed with something sweet or citrus-forward. A whiskey sour, an Old Fashioned made with simple syrup, or a whiskey ginger are all good starting points. Skip anything described as 'bold,' 'peaty,' or 'barrel strength' until you know what you actually like.

The mistake most beginners make

Most people new to whiskey walk up to the bar and order by brand name, because that's the word they recognize from a commercial or a relative's liquor cabinet. The problem is that brand name tells you almost nothing about how a drink will taste. A whiskey can be smooth and sweet or sharp and smoky depending on the mash bill, the age, and the proof, and two whiskeys with similar reputations can drink completely differently.

The bigger issue is proof. A lot of well-known whiskeys sit at 90 to 100+ proof, and full-proof pours can taste harsh or hot to someone who hasn't built up a tolerance for the alcohol burn. That burn gets mistaken for 'whiskey just tastes bad,' when really it's just a strong pour that hasn't been balanced with enough mixer or ice.

The fix isn't to avoid whiskey. It's to order it in a form that's built to be balanced. Cocktails exist specifically to soften proof and highlight flavor, so a good bartender can steer you toward something that eases you in instead of hitting you over the head.

What to actually say to the bartender

You don't need whiskey vocabulary to order well. You just need to describe what you like in plain terms and let the bartender translate that into a drink.

• Say "I like sweet drinks" and ask for a whiskey sour or a whiskey and ginger ale.
• Say "I want something classic but easy" and ask for an Old Fashioned made with simple syrup instead of a sugar cube, which tends to come out smoother.
• Say "I don't want it too strong" and ask for it built with more mixer and less whiskey, or served on the rocks so the ice does some of the work.
• Avoid neat pours and anything labeled cask strength or barrel proof until you've had a few cocktails and know your tolerance.
• If a drink is too strong, it's fine to ask for a splash more soda, juice, or an extra ice cube. Bartenders adjust drinks like this all the time.

A good rule of thumb: start with something you'd normally order in a non-whiskey drink, like a sour or a ginger-based mixer, and just ask for whiskey as the base spirit. That gives you a familiar flavor profile with whiskey layered underneath, instead of throwing you into whiskey's full flavor all at once.

If you're out with a group and everyone's ordering different things, it's also fine to ask the bartender what they'd recommend for someone who's never really had whiskey before. That question alone usually gets you steered toward the right drink, because it tells the bartender exactly how to build it.

At 12 Hawks, the bar staff get this question often enough that they're used to walking people through it, especially during weeknight happy hour when the bar tends to be a little more relaxed and there's time to talk through options.

Related: if you want to go a step further, our post on the difference between bourbon, rye, and scotch breaks down why those three taste so different from each other.