We Tried 6 Cocktails From A Billionaire’s Whisky Brand — Here’s Our Unfiltered Review

One drink tasted like cough drops. Another was giving yacht party. Our final rankings couldn’t have been more different. 😅🥃

Posted 50 minutes ago

by Terry Carter Jr.Director of Pop Culture

I'm the Director of Pop Culture and Celebrity News at BuzzFeed.

I'll be honest: I'm not much of a drinker. I'm far more likely to order pineapple juice than a cocktail. But as a longtime Beyoncé fan, I couldn't pass up the chance to try her new SirDavis Whisky Lemonade Kit.

The $99 whisky kit arrived in a sleek, sophisticated packaging that felt super luxe. The black magnetic box comes adorned with the SirDavis horse logo. IMO, it looks and feels expensive and, dare I say, sacred (no pun intended).

Cocktail shaker set with various tools displayed on a kitchen counter, alongside a black box with a gold horse emblem

Inside the kit are all the fixings needed to make the drink: a 375 mL bottle of SirDavis American Whisky, a 16 oz bottle of organic lemonade, a 2 oz bottle of honey syrup, a bag of dehydrated lemon wheels, and a recipe card.

Cocktail set with liquor bottle, limoncello, shaker, and bar tools on a countertop. Kitchen items visible in the background

For funsies, the kit also includes a SirDavis medallion horse pin and a note from the company itself.

A hand reaches for a cocktail kit on a countertop, featuring spirits, mixers, a shaker, and bar tools neatly organized

Now, let's get to the real reason why you're here: the booze! We dove in with the "Whisky Lemonade" cocktail, inspired by Beyoncé's critically acclaimed 2016 album, Lemonade.

The ingredients called for 2 oz of SirDavis American Whisky, 4 oz of lemonade...

Person pouring a dark liquid from a jigger into a metal shaker on a granite countertop

Person pouring liquid from a lemon-patterned bottle into a metal shaker, with a bowl of ice on a granite countertop

...and .50 oz of honey syrup.

Hand holding a small bottle of honey syrup on a speckled countertop, likely used for culinary or cocktail purposes

Person pouring liquor from a bottle into a jigger over a counter

Luckily for us, the kit included crisp lemon slices, which we also used for the garnish.

Packaged dried lemon slices labeled "California Crisps, Lemon" held by a person over a kitchen countertop

A drink is being poured into a glass garnished with a dried citrus slice on a granite countertop

At last, it was time for the taste test. As you can see below, I was taking my role as a whisky connoisseur very, very seriously 😅.

Person in a kitchen sipping a drink with a lime slice garnish

My thoughts on the Whisky Lemonade cocktail:

Man drinking a citrus-garnished beverage in a kitchen, looking contemplative

James' thoughts on the Whisky Lemonade cocktail:

Person in a kitchen holds a glass of tea with a slice of lemon, looking contemplative

Since we already had the whisky out, we figured we'd try SirDavis's "Davis Old Fashioned" recipe for a comparison.

Text reading "Davis Old Fashioned" against a dark background

If you're wondering where the name SirDavis comes from, it's a nod to Beyoncé's paternal great-grandfather, Davis Hogue. He was a farmer and moonshiner during Prohibition who reportedly hid whisky bottles in cedar trees. The brand added "Sir" as a tribute to him.

The ingredients for his namesake drink called for 2 oz of SirDavis American Whisky...

A person pours liquor into a jigger over a cocktail shaker, with a bowl of ice nearby on a granite countertop

...2 dashes of Angostura bitters...

Bottle of Angostura aromatic bitters on a kitchen counter, beside a bowl and juicer in the background

A hand pours bitters into a glass of amber liquid on a granite countertop next to a cocktail shaker

...and 0.25 oz of honey syrup.

Person pouring liquid into a jigger above a bowl of ice on a granite countertop, preparing a drink

Overall, it was a pretty quick and easy drink to make.

A glass of whiskey with a large ice cube on a granite countertop

James' thoughts on the Davis Old Fashioned cocktail:

Person in a kitchen holds a glass of brown beverage, wearing a casual long-sleeve shirt, looking upwards thoughtfully

My thoughts on the Davis Old Fashioned cocktail:

Person drinking from a glass, looking sideways in a kitchen. Bulletin board with notes is visible in the background

By this point, James and I were invested. We decided to up the ante and taste-test a few more of the summery cocktails featured on SirDavis' website.

Person drinking from a glass, holding it close to their face, with a chalkboard visible in the background

Encouraged by our initial experience, we jumped back in a few days later, starting with the "Watermelon Mint Lemonade" cocktail to see what would happen when we added fresh fruits to the mix.

Text reading "Watermelon Mint Lemonade" on black background

Here's bartender James, back in the kitchen, whipping up the drink for us:

Person pouring whiskey into a cocktail shaker on a kitchen counter

The recipe for this one combined 2 oz of SirDavis American Whisky, 3 oz of watermelon juice, and 5 oz of lemonade.

Person pouring juice into a cocktail shaker on a kitchen counter next to a bottle and a yellow utensil holder

Person pouring liquid from a bottle into a measuring cup with cocoa powder on a kitchen counter

We garnished with a watermelon wedge and a mint leaf. Here's the money shot:

A glass of iced tea with mint on a countertop, garnished with a watermelon slice, next to a container of watermelon cubes

My thoughts on the Watermelon Mint Lemonade cocktail:

Person holding a cocktail garnished with watermelon and mint in a kitchen, wearing a casual t-shirt and smartwatch

James' thoughts on the Watermelon Mint Lemonade cocktail:

Person drinking a beverage from a glass with a strawberry garnish, standing in a kitchen

We kept the party going by making the "Peach Arnold Palmer" cocktail next.

The drink combines 2 oz of SirDavis American Whisky with 3 oz of peach tea (we used Lipton) and 3 oz of lemonade.

A person pours liquor from a bottle into a jigger over a countertop. A glass and a plate with sliced fruit are nearby

Per the recipe, we garnished it with juicy peach slices and mint.

Person slicing a peach on a paper plate with candies in a container nearby

Then it was time to pour and serve our concoction.

A hand pours a cocktail into a glass with ice, garnished with mint and peach slices. Nearby, a plate holds a halved peach

A refreshing cocktail in a tall glass with ice, garnished with peach slices, sits on a speckled countertop with snacks in the background

James' thoughts on the Peach Arnold Palmer cocktail:

A man in a casual raglan shirt holds a cocktail with fruit garnish, standing in a kitchen with shelves and a coffee maker in the background

My thoughts on the Peach Arnold Palmer cocktail:

A person smiling while holding a glass with ice, peach slices, and green garnish, suggesting a refreshing beverage or cocktail

We then moved on to the "Texas Buckiin'" cocktail recipe, the drink James had been looking forward to the most.

Text reading "TEXAS BUCKIN'" in bold font against a dark background

Starting with 1.50 oz of SirDavis American Whisky, we added 0.25 oz of lemon juice, 4 oz of ginger beer, and 0.25 oz of honey syrup.

A person holds a bottle of organic lemon juice over a counter with a cocktail shaker, a liquor bottle, and candy jars nearby

Person preparing a cocktail, pouring soda into a metal cup beside a whisky decanter on a counter

The recipe instructed us to use lemons for garnish.

Person slicing lemons on a floral paper plate in a kitchen with a black box nearby

Person mixing a drink with a stirrer in a metal cup on a countertop with various drink ingredients and tools

Here it is, ready to be served!

A glass of iced tea cocktail with a lemon wedge on a kitchen counter, surrounded by a knife block and a bottle labeled "Organic Lemon Juice."

My thoughts on the Texas Buckiin' cocktail:

Person holding a cocktail with a lemon twist in a glass, gazing thoughtfully

James' thoughts on the Texas Buckiin' cocktail:

Person grimaces while holding a cocktail with an orange slice, suggesting a strong or sour taste. Behind them are kitchen shelves and a chalkboard

Selfishly, I chose to end our taste test with the "Strawberry Basil Lemonade" drink because strawberries are my absolute favorite.

Image with large text: "Strawberry Basil Lemonade."

As per the recipe, James sliced up 3 fresh strawberries and muddled them to release their sweet flavor. He also set a few pieces aside for later use as garnish.

A person prepares strawberries and lemon slices on a plate in a kitchen with a box labeled "SIRDAVIS" nearby

Hands mashing strawberries in a bowl on a kitchen counter, with sliced citrus and mint leaves nearby for a cocktail preparation

This cocktail also called for 2 basil leaves and, yes, more lemonade. 6 oz of it this time around.

Person tearing fresh basil leaves in a kitchen, with a cocktail shaker and ingredients nearby

Pouring juice into a jigger over ice in a glass, with strawberries and limes nearby on a countertop

After adding 2 oz of SirDavis American Whisky, our drink was complete...

Person pouring brown liquor from a bottle into a jigger on a kitchen counter with glassware and a wooden container nearby

A hand pours a cocktail from a shaker into a glass with ice, mint, and fruit on a granite countertop. A whiskey bottle is nearby

...and ready to be sipped!

Terry Carter Jr.

James' thoughts on the Strawberry Basil Lemonade cocktail:

A person in a casual shirt looks curiously at a beverage in their hand, standing in a kitchen with a chalkboard in the background

My thoughts on the Strawberry Basil Lemonade cocktail:

Person enjoying a cocktail in a glass with a strawberry and leaf garnish indoors

Our rapid-fire verdict:

Netflix / Via tenor.com

😯 Biggest surprise

JAMES: How well SirDavis whisky blends with fresh fruits.

TERRY: The strawberry basil drink! So, so good.

😬 Biggest disappointment

JAMES: The Texas Buckiin' cocktail.

TERRY: The Peach Arnold Palmer. Boy, bye.

🍋 Best for beginners

TERRY: The watermelon mint cocktail. You'll barely notice the alcohol.

JAMES: Agreed.

🥃 Best if you actually like whisky

JAMES: The Whisky Lemonade. When prepared right, you'll get a nice balance of flavors while still tasting the whisky center stage.

TERRY: The Davis Old Fashioned tastes most like a classic cocktail (just be sure not to forget the brandied cherries and orange twist garnish!)

🍓 Which cocktail we'd happily make again

JAMES: Strawberry Basil.

TERRY: Strawberry Basil and/or the Texas Buckiin' cocktail, for me :)

Final scorecard:

Person smiling and holding a cocktail garnished with a strawberry and a green leaf

Man enjoying a beverage garnished with strawberries and herbs, standing in a kitchen. A colorful chalkboard is visible in the background

Editor's note: BuzzFeed received the SirDavis Whisky Lemonade Kit free of charge. We were under no obligation to provide a positive review, and all opinions expressed are our own. We also purchased all of the fresh fruit and fruit juices that were not included in the kit.

We Tried 6 Cocktails From A Billionaire's Whisky Brand — Here's Our Unfiltered Review