How to Make a Simple Whiskey Tonic

The whiskey tonic is one of the easiest, tastiest cocktails around! Mix bourbon or whiskey and tonic water for a simple, bubbly drink.

Want a light, bubbly cocktail starring whiskey or bourbon? Mix it with tonic water for a whiskey tonic!

While the classic gin and tonic and vodka tonic are always popular options for tonic water, I love toning down whiskey this way, especially in the summer. The sweet, bubbly carbonation pairs perfectly with oaky, spicy whiskey.

Here’s more about how to make a whiskey and tonic, with a few more great bubbly highball cocktails to round out your cocktail repertoire.

What’s a whiskey tonic?

The whiskey tonic is a highball cocktail, part of a family of drinks that pair liquor with a larger portion of a non-alcoholic mixer like tonic water or soda water. It’s similar to a whiskey highball, a cocktail dating back to the early 1900s that combined Scotch whiskey with soda water as a “scotch and soda.”

The whiskey tonic is essentially a whiskey highball, but it uses tonic water instead of soda water. The ingredients for a whiskey tonic are:

• 1 part whiskey
• 2 parts tonic water
• Lemon wedge

Choosing your whiskey

You can use any whiskey in a whiskey tonic. The fun part is that switching up the whiskey makes it a different drink, depending on what you mix it with. Here are some ideas:

• Bourbon: Bourbon and tonic go hand in hand! Some people call it a BLT: bourbon, lemon, and tonic.
• Rye whiskey: Tone down the spicy finish of rye whiskey with tonic water.
• Irish whiskey: The mellow, almost sweet flavor of Irish whiskey works well in this drink.
• Scotch: If you love the spicy, peaty flavor of Scotch, it works here too!

Choosing your tonic water

Tonic water is a carbonated water that also contains quinine and is lightly sweetened. Its flavor is bubbly, bitter, sweet, and a little sour all at once. Classic cocktails use tonic water not only to dilute liquor with bubbles, but also for its nuance in flavor.

These days, there are a lot of options for tonic water. My favorite brand is Q Tonic. It has great flavor and is sold in small cans, just enough for a few drinks. I also like Q for ginger beer and ginger ale.

Mixers for whiskey

You can use the concept of a whiskey tonic with other mixers, too! It doesn’t have to be tonic water, though the sweetness is a nice match. I like the subtle sweetness tonic water brings as a mixer versus soda water, but here are some of the best mixers for whiskey:

• Soda water, like in a Whiskey Highball
• Ginger ale, like in a Whiskey Ginger
• Ginger beer, like in a Kentucky Mule or Irish Mule
• Cola, like in a Whiskey and Coke or Jack and Coke
• Orange juice, like in a Whiskey and Orange Juice
• Lemonade, like in a Whiskey Lemonade

More drinks with tonic water

Mixing a liquor with soda water, tonic water, or even ginger ale is an age-old practice! It makes them lighter and easier to drink. Here are a few more highball cocktails in this family:

• Elderflower Cocktail
• Gin and Tonic 
• Tequila and Tonic
• Rum and Tonic
• White Port and Tonic

Serving a whiskey tonic

The whiskey tonic is easy to make and ultra refreshing. It’s great for serving as a:

• Summer drink
• Afternoon drink
• Before dinner drink (aperitif)
• Cocktail hour drink

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