America’s Top 5 Bourbon Drinks

Fact Checked by Thomas Leary

Few things unite Americans from all backgrounds like their favorite spirit, with countless residents from sea to shining sea choosing a product that hails from Kentucky as their drink of choice.  

That spirit is bourbon, which hails from Kentucky and serves as the backbone to some of our country’s finest booze-related exports, from cocktails like the humble Manhattan to more sophisticated numbers like the Hot Toddy and the Boulevardier.  

Often recognized as the “Official Spirit of America,” bourbon is celebrated annually on June 14th – National Bourbon Day. BetKentucky.com, typicaly home to all things Kentucky sports betting, used Google Trends to see what America’s favorite bourbon drinks are. The search was conducted between May 27, 2024 – June 3, 2024. We ranked the drinks according to search interest score, which is compared to other topics. 

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America’s Favorite Bourbon Drinks

Rank

Cocktail

Search Interest Score

1

Manhattan

65

2

Old Fashioned

43

3

Hot Toddy

35

4

John Collins

29

5

Boulevardier

14

Which Drink Do Americans Prefer?

Based on search interest scores alone, we can infer that the Manhattan is America’s favorite bourbon-based cocktail, with the cocktail that includes sweet vermouth, bourbon and bitters ranking ahead of a host of other booze-centric numbers.  

The other bourbon drinks that finished atop the list were the Old Fashioned, which had a search interest score of 43, while the Hot Toddy (35 search interest score), John Collins (29 search interest score) and Boulevardier (14 search interest score) rounded out the national quintet for the year.  

Still, none of the five had anywhere near the clout online of the drink first created in the heart of New York City, as the simp-le mix of whiskey, sweet red vermouth and angostura bitters with a garnish of Maraschino cherries punched way above its weight across America in 2024, knocking off a host of boozy favorites like the Old Fashioned and Boulevardier. 

Look for more lifestyle pieces from BetKentucky, such as: Dad’s Day Delight: Kentucky Amongst States Most Appreciative.

USA Today photo by Matt Stone.

Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan is a staff writer for BetKentucky.com. He has covered sports and sports betting for more than seven years and has worked for publications such as ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.

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