Scotch Cocktails

[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 March 10, 2010 by Chris Amirault
add the tobacco comment (log)

[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 July 26, 2010 by EvergreenDan (log)

[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....

[evo-lution]

Here's another of mine;

B.F.G

Winning Rusty Nail twist created for the Drambuie UK Cocktail Competition - January 2010

40ml Drambuie

25ml Noilly Prat Rouge

10ml Laphroaig 10 year old

2 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Boker's Bitters

Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass fill with cubed ice and stir for 15-20 seconds.

Glass: Two small cocktail glasses

Garnish: Fresh lemon zest

Ice: N/A

Edited July 31, 2010 by evo-lution (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Robert Burns tonight for me and the mother-in-law:

2 oz Jura Superstition

3/4 oz Carpano Antica Formula

dash Regan's bitters

dash Angostura bitters

dash Marteau absinthe

[db_campbell]

Robert Burns tonight for me and the mother-in-law:

2 oz Jura Superstition

3/4 oz Carpano Antica Formula

dash Regan's bitters

dash Angostura bitters

dash Marteau absinthe

I'm curious to hear your opinion of how well the Angostura worked in this drink. I've taken to combining Regan's & Peychaud's in my Bobbys, since the latter just seems to play better with Scotch to my palate.

[brinza]

2 oz Jura Superstition

This is a simply delicious malt that you don't hear about very much. Very cocktail friendly as well.

ETA: Whoops. I see that it is in fact being talked about right now!

Edited August 9, 2010 by brinza (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Robert Burns tonight for me and the mother-in-law:

2 oz Jura Superstition

3/4 oz Carpano Antica Formula

dash Regan's bitters

dash Angostura bitters

dash Marteau absinthe

I'm curious to hear your opinion of how well the Angostura worked in this drink. I've taken to combining Regan's & Peychaud's in my Bobbys, since the latter just seems to play better with Scotch to my palate.

Very interesting. Perhaps that's tonight's drink....

[ChrisTaylor]

Here's another of mine;

B.F.G

Winning Rusty Nail twist created for the Drambuie UK Cocktail Competition - January 2010

40ml Drambuie

25ml Noilly Prat Rouge

10ml Laphroaig 10 year old

2 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Boker's Bitters

Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass fill with cubed ice and stir for 15-20 seconds.

Glass: Two small cocktail glasses

Garnish: Fresh lemon zest

Ice: N/A

This I mostly like. I think I might make another with a bit more scotch in it--it's ever-so-slightly too sweet for my tastes.

[ChrisTaylor]

Inspired by Erik's excursion in the Savoy Affinity Cocktail (click), when I saw a bottle of the Compass Box Asyla scotch, I snapped it up. I made a few Affinity Cocktails and haven't been swept away.

However, today I snooped around www.cocktaildb.com and found The Bairn, a fine simple cocktail with scotch, Cointreau, and orange bitters. The first, which was lovely, was with Regan's bitters; the second just now, which was utterly transcendent, was with Fee Brothers -- particularly with an orange twist that's a bit fatter than it ought to be.

It got me to thinking that there are probably some fine scotch cocktails out there that get short shrift because of the overwhelming tendency to drink scotch neat. Others?

Just tried this one, too. I don't have any blended scotch at the moment (keep forgetting to pick up a bottle of Monkey Shoulder, say) so I went with Glenfarclas 15. I liked this a whole lot more than I thought I would ... which is odd, really, as I have no reason to imagine it being shit. I like Speyside. I like orange. Nice find.

EDIT

While we're on the topic, I really like a Blood & Sand with Talisker or gutsy Islay. I like the 'Cherry Ripe dipped in an ash tray' quality of it. For about two seconds I thought this was my idea then I went to some cocktail bar in Melbourne and spotted a B&S variation that had, among other changes to the standard recipe, Laphroaig 10 instead of the more usual blend.

I do find the use of blends in cocktails interesting. I get why, on some level, it's done, but the standard 'oh, use a blend' line rarely, if ever, talks about what kind of blend to use. Johnny Green is not Monkey Shoulder is not Peat Monster. They're three blends that, off the top of my head, are very different animals--varied and unique in character, as distinct from each other as Glenfiddich is from anCroc is from anything from the Isle of Jura. I use single malts in cocktails, not that I make many scotch cocktails, purely because that's what I have on hand.

Do you use blends or single malts? If so, what blend/single malt do you favour (ignoring the cocktails that specify the use of, say, Oban 14 or Laphroaig 10)?

Edited April 25, 2012 by ChrisTaylor (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

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

This is a really interesting drink. Really interesting. It took me a few careful, considered sips before I even decided I liked it. Perfect drink for a quiet and cold winter night.

[ChrisTaylor]

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.

I made this with Abelour cask-strength, purely because it's my favourite Speyside (altho' I did initially reach for the Glenfarclas 15). It's okay--I didn't like the first sip but it's growing on me.

[ZombieAddict]

Audrey Sanders Dreamy Dorini Smoking Martini is pretty good too. They make it for you at the Dorrance if you go armed with the recipe

Dreamy Dorini Smoking Martini

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces Grey Goose vodka

1/2 ounce Laphroaig 10-year-old single malt scotch

2 to 3 drops Pernod

1 lemon twist, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Stir all of the ingredients over ice for 20 to 30 seconds.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and add the garnish.

Serves 1

[FrogPrincesse]

I made a Penicillin the other day with the ratios from the Bartender's Choice app, which are a little odd by the way (eighths of an ounce? A little difficult to measure but that's what I used). I used Canton ginger liqueur instead of the sweetened ginger syrup, with no ill effects. Also my lemon was a Meyer lemon. It was very good.

2 oz scotch

3/4 oz lemon juice

3/8 oz honey syrup

3/8 oz sweetened ginger juice

1/4 Islay scotch

Shake, strain into rocks glass

[EvergreenDan]

@frogprincesse: Try King's Ginger if you can find it. I find it has more fresh ginger bite than Canton.

King's Ginger : Canton = ginger beer : ginger ale

I feel a slight infection coming on myself.

[FrogPrincesse]

Thanks Dan, I will keep that in mind (although I am not really in the market for another ginger liqueur - I am already running out of space!).

[EvergreenDan]

The Penicillin recipe in Kindred Cocktails calls for 3/4 oz of honey-ginger syrup. I suspect that's where the odd 3/8 oz measurements come from. I made this with King's Ginger and Balvenie Doublewood and thought it was very nice. I also made a tequila version (anejo with mezcal) and liked that too. It is surprisingly accessible for the non-Scotch lover.

[Dan Perrigan]

I made a Penicillin the other day with the ratios from the Bartender's Choice app, which are a little odd by the way (eighths of an ounce? A little difficult to measure but that's what I used). I used Canton ginger liqueur instead of the sweetened ginger syrup, with no ill effects. Also my lemon was a Meyer lemon. It was very good.

2 oz scotch

3/4 oz lemon juice

3/8 oz honey syrup

3/8 oz sweetened ginger juice

1/4 Islay scotch

Shake, strain into rocks glass

Hi FrogPrincesse. The first time I made this I used the recipe that calls for three slices of fresh ginger to be muddled in the shaker (and 3/4 oz honey syrup and no extra ginger liqueur/juice). I've made it several times since then, searching for an "easy" way -- Canton, ginger syrup, etc -- and none have the same ginger bite as using fresh ginger. Without the fresh ginger, it just falls flat.

I may need to run out and buy some today because this is sounding like an excellent choice for tonight...

Dan