Short answer: The best summer bourbon cocktails from Southern Kentucky Distillery stay light and easy: a splash of soda, sweet tea, or watermelon moonshine over ice. Long Ridge High Rye Bourbon keeps it simple in a two-ingredient highball. Turby's Cherrywood Bourbon pairs naturally with peach, watermelon, and iced tea. These four recipes come straight from our in-house recipe book.
Key Takeaways
- Bourbon holds up well over ice, so most summer drinks only need a few ingredients.
- Big Daddy's Special keeps it simple: Long Ridge High Rye Bourbon and Sprite, nothing else.
- Turby's Cherrywood Bourbon pairs naturally with peach, watermelon, and iced tea for a porch-ready sipper.
- These four recipes come straight from our in-house recipe book, made behind the bar at SKD.
Why Bourbon Works for Summer Drinks
Bourbon has enough body to stand up to ice and mixers without disappearing. A lot of people think of bourbon as a cold weather pour, but a well-built bourbon drink is just as refreshing as a vodka soda once you add citrus, tea, or fruit.
At Southern Kentucky Distillery, we make two bourbons with very different mash bills. Long Ridge High Rye Bourbon runs 69% corn, 21% rye, and 10% malted barley, so it carries real rye spice and pepper even mixed simple. Turby's Cherrywood Bourbon runs 69% corn, 21% wheat, and 10% malted barley, then finishes with cherrywood for a smoother, fruit-forward pour. That difference is why the four recipes below split the way they do.
1. Big Daddy's Special
This is the simplest pour in the whole lineup, and it is the house way to drink Long Ridge on a hot afternoon. Two ingredients, no fuss.
- 2 oz Long Ridge High Rye Kentucky Bourbon
- Sprite
Fill a glass with ice. Add the bourbon, then top with Sprite. Stir once and serve.
2. Turby's Collins
A classic Collins build using Turby's Cherrywood Bourbon in place of gin. The cherrywood finish comes through even with citrus and soda in the mix.
- 2 oz Turby's Kentucky Cherrywood Bourbon
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 0.5 oz lemon juice
- 3 oz soda water
- Optional: 0.5 oz Slate Fork Blackberry Moonshine for a sweeter cocktail
Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add the bourbon, simple syrup, and lemon juice. Top with soda water and stir. Add the blackberry moonshine if you want it sweeter.
3. Watermelon Whiskey Sour
This one leans into summer hardest. Slate Fork Watermelon Moonshine and Turby's Cherrywood Bourbon share the glass, so you get bourbon depth with a fruity finish.
- 1 oz Turby's Kentucky Cherrywood Bourbon
- 1 oz Slate Fork Watermelon Moonshine
- Sweet and sour mix, to fill
- Garnish with lime and cherry
Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add the bourbon and watermelon moonshine. Fill the rest of the glass with sweet and sour mix and stir. Garnish with lime and a cherry.
4. Turby's Porch Swing
Named for exactly where you should drink it. Peach moonshine and iced tea turn Turby's into a slow, porch-ready sipper.
- 2 oz Turby's Kentucky Cherrywood Bourbon
- 0.5 oz Slate Fork Party Peach Moonshine
- 0.5 oz lime juice
- Iced tea, to fill
- Garnish with lime
Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add the bourbon, peach moonshine, and lime juice. Fill the rest of the glass with iced tea and stir. Garnish with lime.
Quick Recipe Comparison
| Cocktail | Bourbon | Flavor Profile | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Daddy's Special | Long Ridge High Rye | Crisp, lightly spiced | Fast, no-fuss sipping |
| Turby's Collins | Turby's Cherrywood | Citrus, lightly sweet, fizzy | All-day dock sipping |
| Watermelon Whiskey Sour | Turby's Cherrywood | Sweet, tart, fruity | Hot afternoon cookouts |
| Turby's Porch Swing | Turby's Cherrywood | Peach, tea, smooth | Slow porch evenings |
Which SKD Bourbon Should You Start With?
If you want the simplest pour, reach for Long Ridge High Rye Bourbon. It earned a Double Gold Medal at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and a spot on Forbes' list of the world's best small batch bourbons, so it holds its own even mixed with just Sprite.
If you want something smoother that pairs with fruit and tea, Turby's Cherrywood Bourbon is the better start. It earned a Single Gold Medal at the same 2025 competition, and its cherrywood finish is why it works in three of the four drinks above.
Want more mixing ideas year round? Check out our full cocktail recipes page, and see our full breakdown on how to drink bourbon if you are still deciding between neat, on the rocks, or mixed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these official SKD recipes?
Yes. All four drinks come from our in-house SKD Cocktails and Shots recipe book, built by our own staff and tested behind the bar, not invented for this post.
What bourbon is best for summer cocktails?
Long Ridge High Rye works well when you want something simple and spice-forward, like Big Daddy's Special. Turby's Cherrywood Bourbon is smoother and pairs better with fruit, tea, and moonshine mixers.
Can I make these cocktails ahead of time for a group?
Yes. Mix the bourbon and any juice or moonshine in a pitcher ahead of time, then add ice and top with soda, tea, or Sprite right before serving so the carbonation and flavor stay fresh.
Where can I try these bourbons in person?
You can taste both Long Ridge and Turby's at our distillery in Burkesville, Kentucky. Book a spot on our distillery tour and we will walk you through the mash bill differences firsthand.
Ready to Stock Your Summer Bar Cart?
Grab a bottle of Long Ridge High Rye Bourbon or Turby's Cherrywood Bourbon from our online shop, or come see how we make both at our distillery. Book a tour and taste them side by side.