5 Delicious Mixers For Your Crown Royal

Crown Royal is one of the most recognizable whiskeys on the market today with its royal purple velvet bag and gold script. It also happens to be one of the most popular whiskeys out there with its sales totaling over 7 million cases in 2023, which means it's most likely available at your favorite watering hole. It might even be on your shelf at home. This makes it a great choice when you're looking to create a mixer with some delicious options.

Created in 1939 by Canadian spirits entrepreneur, Samuel Bronfman, the whiskey was presented as a gift to King George and Queen Elizabeth to commemorate the royal couple's first visit to Canada. A blend of 50 whiskeys, this popular spirit can be enjoyed in a variety of different ways: neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail. However, in order for it to be a proper cocktail, you need to mix it with something. 

While there are several mixers that every home bar should have, which ones go best with the brown spirit?  Ginger ale, ginger beer, and cola are the most popular choices, but they're not the only choices. In fact, there are several options available if you're longing to mix your Crown with something out of the ordinary. Read on to discover our top five choices and what you can do with each of them.

Nothing is more refreshing than a cocktail with bubbles. Not only does it add a bit of sparkle, the effervescence from the bubbles takes the drink up a notch. While you're more likely to see drinks with a splash of soda in the spring and summer or on a tropical beach, they're delicious year-round. You also don't need to limit your bubbles to vodka, gin, or tequila. It doesn't matter which club soda you choose, you'll find this particular mixer goes well with any spirit — including whiskey. 

Still not convinced you should be adding club soda to your whiskey? Don't worry. Adding a drop or two of water won't dilute your spirit, it will simply cause the spirit to open up and bloom, thereby creating a different tasting experience. You might even discover you prefer your whiskey this way. Adding a little carbonation only enhances the experience further, causing those flavors to tickle the tongue and make your taste buds stand up and take note. 

Mixing soda water with Crown Royal isn't as unusual as you may think. In fact, a whiskey highball is essentially whiskey and soda over ice, and is a very popular cocktail that people have been imbibing for decades.

Cranberry juice is one of those classic mixers that you'll almost always find on the table at a party because of how versatile it is. Not only is it great on its own or with a little club soda for those who choose to forgo spirits, we wouldn't have that "Sex and the City" favorite, the Cosmopolitan, without it. Yet, just because the most common combination is vodka and cranberry doesn't mean it's the only option. As a matter of fact, cranberry juice mixes just as well with whiskey as it does with vodka. 

Whiskey, especially a blended whiskey like Crown Royal, usually has caramel or vanilla, but there also tends to be a subtle oaky, spiciness as well. The tartness that comes from the cranberries will temper those sweeter notes in the whiskey while balancing out the spice that you might find on the finish. Since cranberry has acidic notes as well, you'll end up with a well-balanced, colorful cocktail. 

The only thing left to decide is which cranberry juice brand to choose, one that's sweeter or one that's more tart. A sweeter cranberry juice cocktail will make for a sweeter drink like a whiskey punch (something Crown would be perfect for since it's a blend), whereas the more tart cranberry juice is better for something like a whiskey sour. Whichever way you go, you'll end up with a winner every time. 

Lemon juice and whiskey go together like apples and cinnamon. Add a little sugar and water, and you've got a great summertime drink that everyone adores. While we all love a tall, cool glass of classic lemonade when the sun is high and the temps reach triple digits, adding a shot of Crown Royal and a few ice cubes turns that youngun's drink into one satisfying cocktail. The tart citrus not only melds perfectly with those vanilla notes typically found in blended whiskeys, it also mellows the richness of the whiskey while cutting through that harsh spice you sometimes find on the finish. 

If you're unsure of how to mix the citrus drink with Crown Royal, there are two easy options. First, you could create a Lynchburg Lemonade. We know the classic Lynchburg Lemonade is made with Jack Daniels and triple sec, but you could easily replace the Tennessee whiskey with Crown. It may be a blend, but the flavors will still combine for a perfectly refreshing tipple. If you want something a little less complex but no less delicious, go with a Cowboy Palmer. It's an Arnold Palmer that replaces the iced tea with whiskey. 

If you prefer your cocktails on the sweeter side, then forgo the lemonade or cranberry juice and reach instead for that clear, golden apple juice. Even though it's easiest to find a variety of apple juices made from every type of apple available throughout the fall months, you can still grab a bottle of your favorite brand at the store year-round. It doesn't matter if the juice is crystal clear or a cloudy apple cider, either way, the sweetness from the apples will blend perfectly with those vanilla and caramel notes from the whiskey while complementing the earthy, oaky notes you often get on the finish. 

Plain apple juice tends to be on the sweeter side and so will highlight those sweeter flavors, whereas apple cider tends to have more warming spices like clover and cinnamon and so will highlight the spices that come from the oak barrels in which the whiskey is aged. It's for this reason that during the holiday season (or any chilly winter's night) a wonderful drink to sip by the fire is hot apple cider spiked with bourbon or whiskey. If you really want to make your apple cocktail even better, there are several ingredients you could add to the apple juice first to turn that drink into something really special. 

One of the most popular coffee cocktails out there is the Irish coffee. Sure, this cocktail is made specifically with Irish whiskey. But that's not why it's a popular after-dinner drink. It's a popular after-dinner drink because whiskey, any whiskey, and coffee pair so well together. 

It doesn't matter if you prefer a light, medium, or dark roast. Each bean, when brewed, will bring its own flavor to the party and in turn enhance the flavors of the whiskey. A dark roast's bitter, smoky notes play off of and then meld with the rich, woody notes often found in whiskeys. Meanwhile, the lighter roast's hints of fruit and citrus will meld with those whiskeys that have a bit more fruitiness to them. 

Since Crown Royal tends to be a bit on the sweeter side thanks to its brown sugar and vanilla notes, a dark roasted coffee would be the way to go. The vanilla notes will temper the coffee's earthiness while its slightly nutty finish will enhance the subtle almond flavor of the coffee itself. If you opt for Crown Vanilla, Salted Caramel, or Maple, you'll enhance those flavors even more, creating a wonderful dessert cocktail. Go the extra mile by adding a splash of cream, and you have a velvety concoction that's the perfect ending to a hectic day. No matter what you choose to mix with your Crown Royal, you'll be enjoying a delicious, satisfying cocktail in no time at all.