86 replies to this topic

[shantytownbrown]

I've had a couple of Bobbie Burns in bars in recent weeks, and I'd like to make some at home. Any suggestions of a cheapish Scotch for mixing?

I don't mix with single malts often, but do like the Balvenie 12 (Doublewood) in Rob Roy-ish drinks, which I'd say includes the Bobbie Burns. It should run you around $40 in most places.

Or for a blended whisky, you'll find a lot of support around here for Famous Grouse .

I'll say that my experience with the Grouse in the Bobbie Burns and the Rob yoy this week , with Carpano Antica as the vermouth have been nothing short of sublime...

Havent been able to fine White Horse, will need to look for Balmore Legend to try..

[thirtyoneknots]

Havent been able to fine White Horse, will need to look for Balmore Legend to try..

For some reason, at least in Texas, White Horse is very hard to find in bottles smaller than 1.75L; I've seen it maybe 3 times and only in very out of the way places. In the large bottle it is more or less ubiquitous around here, which is very peculiar to me.

In general it has much more of a smoke and malt character and less fruit than Famous Grouse, almost more like a Highland Malt character to the Grouse's Speyside-esque profile (if comparisons like that aren't taboo). Tasty but very different.

Balmore Legend, being an Islay single malt has much more smoke but it is fairly tame compared to something like Laphroaig. Makes a divine Rusty Nail.

[shantytownbrown]

makes me wonder if anyone has experimented with using proportions of various single malts to sub for the standard blends available...wonder if anyone has found a good balance of flavors with their own "blend"

sb

[brinza]

White Horse is another good choice for a blend,

I'll second the mention of White Horse. A great mixing Scotch for well under $20. I like it because it has just enough oompf to not get lost in a cocktail with other strong flavors.

[thirtyoneknots]

White Horse is another good choice for a blend,

I'll second the mention of White Horse. A great mixing Scotch for well under $20. I like it because it has just enough oompf to not get lost in a cocktail with other strong flavors.

Yeah it does seem more "Scotchy" (with apologies to Ron Burgundy) than other popular blends such as Famous Grouse or Johnny Walker and perhaps less complex. When drinking White Horse I often sort of feel like if you took any aspect of its character away it would no longer really be recognizeable as Scotch, which while making for a somewhat unexciting rocks sipper, makes it ideal in many cocktail situations.

[db_campbell]

When drinking White Horse I often sort of feel like if you took any aspect of its character away it would no longer really be recognizeable as Scotch, which while making for a somewhat unexciting rocks sipper, makes it ideal in many cocktail situations.

The issue with White Horse for me, is that drinking it neat has caused me to never want to try it in a cocktail. I've found a 1:1 vatting of Teacher's and Glen Salen blended malt to be a fine everyday type cocktail base, though both are lacking in sherry & peat. If I'm feeling the former, I'll spring for using a sherried Speyside malt (usually 12 yr; Glenfarclas is typically both useful and relatively inexpensive). If the latter, I try to have a vatting on hand that utilises a large proportion of McClelland's Single Malt Islay, which one can generally find for <$20 and is essentially a very young (4 or 6 yr I believe) Bowmore.

[Blether]

The issue with White Horse for me, is that drinking it neat has caused me to never want to try it in a cocktail...

Because you find White Horse so wonderful ? Could you elaborate on that, please ?

[db_campbell]

The issue with White Horse for me, is that drinking it neat has caused me to never want to try it in a cocktail...

Because you find White Horse so wonderful ? Could you elaborate on that, please ?

Actually, the opposite; I can't find in it a focused flavour that I would describe as pleasurable. The menagerie of flavour notes, to me at least, come off as more a ragged harshness, rather than a complex whole. Perhaps it is the unwitting victim of undue expectations on my part, having read the back label before purchase and noting that whisky from Talisker, Lagavulin & Linkwood are in the blend. Given that provenance, I feel as if I should like it, but simply can't force myself to, despite heartened efforts.

[Blether]

... more a ragged harshness...

Perhaps it's intentionally designed to encourage the drinker beyond the point where taste matters.

[Chris Amirault]

I was at No. 9 Park last week, and Ted made me a Scotland the Brave, which I thought was a big, brash keeper:

2 1/2 (not a typo) oz Talisker
3/4 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Cinzano rosso
1/2 oz Mathilde Orange XO

[Alcuin]

I was at No. 9 Park last week, and Ted made me a Scotland the Brave, which I thought was a big, brash keeper:

2 1/2 (not a typo) oz Talisker
3/4 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Cinzano rosso
1/2 oz Mathilde Orange XO

That's a huge drink, but I might have to give it a shot. I'll have to sub CAF for the Cinzano though. Do you think Cinzano's essential to the drink?

[Chris Amirault]

It's interesting you asked that, bc he and I talked about the exact same thing (and I learned that they're selling CAF at Brix in Boston, btw). He can't keep the CAF on the shelf, but I got the sense he'd like to do so for this drink, yeah.

[vice]

Has anyone played around with brandy/orange liqueur combinations to recreate the Mathilde?

[Chris Amirault]

I'm enjoying a Hoots Mon (or a Hoots Mon Cocktail -- I never know when to add or drop the suffix) and wondering why I've never made one before. I have all the ingredients on hand regularly:

1 1/2 oz scotch (Asyla)
3/4 oz Lillet blanc
3/4 oz sweet vermouth (Punt e Mes)

Lillet now lacks the bitterness of Kina Lillet, of course, so I thought that the Punt e Mes would work better than Martini & Rossi rosso: good call.

[MikeInSacto]

We were served a complimentary "Laphroiag Project" at the Shady Lady here in Sacto. The bartender there mentioned that it came from Bourbon and Branch and according to their blog, it's as follows:

1 oz Green Chartreuse
.5 oz Laphroaig Quarter Cask
.5 oz Luxardo Maraschino
.25 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 oz fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Fee's Peach Bitters

Combine all ingredients into mixing tin and shake vigorously. Double-strain over the rocks into a double old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

I'm not a huge fan of Laphroaig but this was very good.

[EvergreenDan]

Tried this wonder that I found on Cocktail Virgin Slut:

Alto Cucina
1 oz Scotch (Balvenie 15)
1 oz Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz St. Germain Liqueur
1/2 oz Cynar

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass Garnish with an orange twist.

I made it with Balvenie 12 and Dolin. Very good. Nice intro for non-Scotch-drinkers. It would benefit from a higher proof Scotch (as it's written above), but I didn't have any on hand, other than Islay. The unwelcome sugar from the St Germain creeps in, without any acid to balance it, but it's not particularly sweet. Still, I'd prefer it without the candy.

Edited by EvergreenDan, 25 February 2010 - 05:32 PM.

[Brad]

This topic got me perusing through CocktailDB, as I really don't make Scotch cocktails very often. I came across a couple I thought were interesting:

Alice (http://www.cocktaild..._detail?id=2600)
.75 oz Scotch
.75 oz Kummel
.75 oz Sweet Vermouth

Stir and strain into a cocktail glass

and

Oh! Henry (http://www.cocktaild..._detail?id=4484)
1 oz Scotch
1 oz Benedictine
1 oz Ginger Ale

Mix and serve in a cocktail glass

I haven't actually tried either yet, but they work ok in my head. That being said, make and consume at your own risk.

[mhagglund]

I've had a lot of people enjoy this one lately.

Maple Loch
2 oz Ardbeg 10 yr
3/4 oz Nux Alpina
1/2 oz Blis bourbon aged maple syrup
1/2 oz lemon juice
2 dashes hop bitters
Shaken hard, served with an amarena cherry.

[brinza]

This topic got me perusing through CocktailDB, as I really don't make Scotch cocktails very often. I came across a couple I thought were interesting:

Alice (http://www.cocktaild..._detail?id=2600)
.75 oz Scotch
.75 oz Kummel
.75 oz Sweet Vermouth

Stir and strain into a cocktail glass

and

Oh! Henry (http://www.cocktaild..._detail?id=4484)
1 oz Scotch
1 oz Benedictine
1 oz Ginger Ale

Mix and serve in a cocktail glass

I haven't actually tried either yet, but they work ok in my head. That being said, make and consume at your own risk.

The Oh! Henry is one of my favorites. Simple combination--seems almost too obvious, but it works. I can't recall if I've ever made the Alice, but it seems like it should be good.

The Hoots Mon that Chris mentioned is another one I can definitely vouch for as well.

Edited by brinza, 26 February 2010 - 04:08 PM.

[Nathan]

I was at No. 9 Park last week, and Ted made me a Scotland the Brave, which I thought was a big, brash keeper:

2 1/2 (not a typo) oz Talisker
3/4 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Cinzano rosso
1/2 oz Mathilde Orange XO

now that looks terrific and very much up my alley!

[Nathan]

ah, hadn't seen a name for that combo before. I'd played around with that formula for a while and it's fun to tinker and add a dash of this or a dash of that to it. (i.e. add .25 Benedictine and .25 Branca and see what happens). But, in and of itself, it's sweet simplicity (though a drop or two of orange bitters is terrific).

[feste]

At Dutch Kills week before last, Giuseppe made me a Cat's Meow, a drink by Aisha Sharpe from BAR. I think he said they reworked it slightly. Whatever he did, it was really delicious. It's essentially a Remember The Maine with Islay scotch instead of rye, but the phenols in the scotch really alter the sense of the drink. It's also a little drier than we make the Maine at Heaven's Dog. Here's the recipe he gave me:

Cat's Meow

1 1/2 oz Islay scotch
1/2 oz Carpano Antica
1/4 oz Cherry Heering
3 dashes absinthe

Stirred then strained over a large cube, lemon twist. (And if you're going full Kills style, the ice is cut from a lake in Virginia. Bastards.)

[Chris Amirault]

That looks fantastic. I'll have to give it a go later tonight using that Punt e Mes and M&R rosso substitution for Carpano Antica, which we can't get here.

For reasons that aren't worth going into here, the bar where I'll soon be working will be stocking Dewar's White Label regularly, so I got a bottle and am nosing about the net, reading as I taste. One comment that got me thinking was about "Dewar's heavy reek of familiarity," from the (now defunct?) blog That Drinking Feeling, a comment that may capture something important about the blend for a lot of people of a certain generation. It was my dad's scotch, and he had a bottle of it in the house most of the time while I was growing up; it therefore was my first scotch, a regular feature of my wee college cabinet until I tasted Laphroaig and left blends behind.

Coming back to it now, I'm surprised by the familiarity I have with it, not so much a reek as a reminiscence. Makes me wonder which of the cocktails here would work with such a particularly tenacious blend. I'm also finding dominant tobacco notes in it, along with a lot of other reviewers, which makes me wonder if there are ways to play with that aspect.

Edited by Chris Amirault, 09 March 2010 - 05:10 PM.
add the tobacco comment

[vice]

Chris,

I haven't had Dewar's in a while (since my own college days), but I made this gem from the Drinks! thread tonight using Famous Grouse instead of Laphroaig as I wanted something lighter-bodied. It was phenomenal, so you might want to give it a shot.

[evo-lution]

Here's three scotch whisky drinks that you may be interested in, all very different using different scotches;

Grand Albannach
Grand Marnier BOTY drink November 2006

37.5ml Auchentoshan 10 year old
12.5ml Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
2-3 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters No: 6
15ml Fresh Lemon Juice
15ml French Sunflower Honey Syrup *
2 bar-spoons Mixed Berry Marinade **

Method: Shake all ingredients with cubed ice and double strain
Glass: Rocks
Garnish: Assorted berries
Ice: Cubed

* 2 parts honey to 1 part boiling water
** 5 blackberries, 5 strawberries (quartered), 5 raspberries and 10 blueberries marinated in 25ml Auchentoshan 10 year, 25ml Grand Marnier and sugar (to taste).

Spiced Whisky Smash
Created for Mim cocktail menu – July 2008

50ml Glenmorangie Original
6 Wedges of orange
2 Barspoons honey
1 Barspoon of diced de-seeded red chilli

Method: Muddle orange, honey and chilli in bottom of glass then add whisky. Fill with crushed ice and churn.
Glass: Rocks/Old Fashioned
Garnish: None
Ice: Crushed

Fosbury Flip
Drambuie UK Cocktail Competition January 2010

1 Barspoon caraway seeds
50ml Drambuie
25ml Bacardi 8 year old
1 Whole egg (preferably free range)
2 Dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters
5ml Sugar syrup
Grind Hawaiian red lava salt
Grind black pepper

Method: Muddle caraway seeds in base of mixing glass, add liquor and steep for 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients and dry shake for 5 seconds. Fill with ice and shake for a further 10 seconds. Fine strain.
Glass: Goblet
Garnish: Fresh grated nutmeg
Ice: None

[Chris Amirault]

Tried that Scotland the Brave with modifications:

2 1/2 oz Talisker
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Carpano Antica Formula
1/2 oz Grand Marnier

Built on the rocks, no garnish. Very nice indeed. Scaling back the Fernet brings out the Carpano Antica Formula nicely.

[EvergreenDan]

Scotland the Blave. Oh my. I had my doubts about it being too sweet or too strongly flavored. I used Balvenie Doublewood 12 and (sniff) no CAF on hand, I used 1:1 Punt e Mes and Dolin Dry.

That said, I think I prefer the neat sip out of the mixing glass pre ice to the cold drink. It was like a nice single malt, but with all this complex stuff going on. The Fernet is NOT overpowering in modified amount.

Great drink for a Scotch lover.

Edited by EvergreenDan, 26 July 2010 - 04:41 PM.

[Chris Amirault]

Thanks!

I just made a modified Racketeer from the terrific, and defunct, Rogue Cocktails book. I spilled too much Talisker in and, well, it was a happy accident. Not sure if, with 1/2 oz of scotch, it counts as a scotch drink, but, well, the mezcal and scotch play nicely in their smoke. You make the call.

[EvergreenDan]

Hoots Mon
1 1/2 oz scotch (Asyla)
3/4 oz Lillet blanc
3/4 oz sweet vermouth (Punt e Mes)

Very nice drink. Thanks, Chris. I used Balvenie Doublewood, Bonal Gentiane Quina, and Boissiere Sweet. I started with it neat, but the proportions make it a tad sweet for my taste. On the rocks, it came together. It's more of a Manhattan than a Scotch drink as the Scotch is remarkably subdued. I might try 1/2 oz of the modifiers next time to let the Scotch through. Or maybe a "perfect" variation with 3/8 oz Sweet and 3/8 oz Dry vermouth?

I'm loving your recent enthusiasm for Scotch drinks. I never knew that I could combine my love of cocktails with my enthusiasm for Scotch.

[Chris Amirault]

My pleasure.

I think a perfect version of that drink is a great idea -- and the Bonal sub is genius. Might try to subject that to a customer next week at the bar....