The Classic Whiskey Cocktail That Was Voted The Best Of All

When it comes to classic cocktails, people tend to have their favorites or go-to's. While some classic cocktails appear to simply be drinks that people want to try at some point, other cocktails are ones that people might drink regularly. But no matter what your drink preference is, there are plenty of cocktails out there to satisfy you whether you love sweet drinks or something that's more balanced. Whiskey lovers are in luck too since there are quite a few classic whiskey cocktails to choose from. In a Mashed poll, one whiskey cocktail was voted the most popular above others, though.

There were 656 respondents to the poll, which listed eight classic cocktails and an "other" response option too. The options included whiskey sour, Moscow mule, old fashioned, Manhattan, gin martini, margarita, Tom Collins, and cosmo. By far the most popular classic cocktail on the list was a margarita with more than a quarter (26.52 percent) of survey participants voting for it. The next most-selected option was "other" with 17.23 percent of the vote. Of course, there isn't whiskey in margaritas and the "other" category cannot be assumed to include whiskey cocktails. Respondents in the latter case wrote in an assortment of drinks, including classics like the screwdriver and rum and Coke (though it might just be orange juice and Coke for the person who wrote, "Sorry, don't drink alcohol"). But the third-most-popular option on the roster was a whiskey cocktail.

Old fashioned cocktails received 12.50 percent of the votes. Whiskey sour, however, was a very close runner-up as the most popular whiskey cocktail. It had just a fraction of a percentage point fewer votes than an old fashioned, coming in at 12.20 percent. Generally speaking, the difference between the two whiskey cocktails really comes down to a preference for sweeter or more tart drinks (via A Bar Above).

The reason an old fashioned is the sweeter of the two options is because it is just whiskey stirred with soda, bitters, sugar, and an orange slice. The bitters give an old fashioned some balance, though the sugar ultimately plays up whiskey's sweet notes. A whiskey sour, on the other hand, is made with whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, and a garnish of lemon peel or a cherry. The lemon juice gives the drink its signature tartness, but it also balances and emphasizes the sweet notes of whiskey too.

Once you know what you like in a whiskey cocktail, you can always explore the many new and modern whiskey cocktails that appear on bar menus like smoked and salted, the golden dram, or a place in the sun (via Town and Country).