Scotch Cocktails

[EvergreenDan]

Dan- I haven't tried actual fresh ginger, and I don't doubt that it's best, but King's Ginger has much more ginger bite and heat than Canton. If you're feeling lazy...

[Steamtrain]

This is the adaptation of the Penicillin that I make at home. I think I picked this up from a post by slkinsey in another thread.

3 Ginger Slice(fresh) each about the size of a quarter

1 oz Honey Syrup(1:1)

*Muddle

2 oz Scotch(Famous Grouse)

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

*Shake with ice in a mixing glass

*Double strain in to rocks glass with fresh large ice cube

1/4 oz float Scotch Islay

1 Lemon Twist garnish

[FrogPrincesse]

This is the adaptation of the Penicillin that I make at home. I think I picked this up from a post by slkinsey in another thread.

3 Ginger Slice(fresh) each about the size of a quarter

1 oz Honey Syrup(1:1)

*Muddle

2 oz Scotch(Famous Grouse)

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

*Shake with ice in a mixing glass

*Double strain in to rocks glass with fresh large ice cube

1/4 oz float Scotch Islay

1 Lemon Twist garnish

This is similar to the version that was published in the LA Times Magazine. The only difference that I see is that they specify 3/4 oz of a 3:1 honey syrup which is quite concentrated.

Also the garnish he uses is a piece of candied ginger (photo here).

[FrogPrincesse]

I tried my first Blood and Sand this weekend. I had high expectations but this was not what I was expecting. It felt a little "thin"/dilute and had more in common with a variation on vermouth than a scotch-based cocktail per se. The scotch was really getting lost in the drink. I was using a fairly non-descript Glenfiddich that I use for mixing. It allowed me however to taste the cherry liqueur in combination with vermouth and I liked the taste. Once I had recalibrated my expectations to just a nice pleasant aperitif cocktail, I enjoyed the drink. In general I have to say though that most orange cocktails are a let down. There seems to be too much sweetness in regular oranges to make these drinks "pop" and something seems to be missing in the end.

[FrogPrincesse]

After the (relative) disappointment of the Blood and Sand, I decided to take a risk with the Broadmoor (Andreas Noren). The name was evocative of the British moorlands which made sense because of the greenish color of the drink and the fact that it is Scotch-based. I later found out that this was actually the name of a high-security mental institution... which also makes sense because on paper this drink does not make any (sense). Scotch whisky, green Chartreuse, simple syrup, and orange bitters. I was concerned that it would be quite sweet and had a hard time imagining the interaction between Scotch whisky and Chartreuse. There was only one way to find out...

As opposed to the Blood and Sand, it is a very strong cocktail that is best sipped slowly. It is also very harmonious and complex. The herbal notes from the Chartreuse complement the smoke from the Scotch. The orange bitters add an element of brightness that is welcome. This is a really nice cocktail (in small doses as it is very potent!).

[ChrisTaylor]

Try a B&S with a meatier scotch such as Talisker.

[FrogPrincesse]

Try a B&S with a meatier scotch such as Talisker.

Sounds like a plan! Do you recommend changing the ratios as well (I used equal parts)?

[EvergreenDan]

@Chris -- The problem with mixing with something like Talisker is that it raises the bar for the cocktail: it needs to beat a glass of Talisker neat. Bowmore Legend, maybe?

[FrogPrincesse]

@Chris -- The problem with mixing with something like Talisker is that it raises the bar for the cocktail: it needs to beat a glass of Talisker neat. Bowmore Legend, maybe?

I checked and don't have Talisker anyway. I don't have too many options for mixing - other than Glenfiddich 12, I have Glenlivet 12 and 15 and that's about it. I also have Bunnahabhain and Lagavulin but we prefer to drink them neat.

The Bowmore Legend looks interesting - I will keep my eyes open for it!

[tanstaafl2]

@Chris -- The problem with mixing with something like Talisker is that it raises the bar for the cocktail: it needs to beat a glass of Talisker neat. Bowmore Legend, maybe?

I checked and don't have Talisker anyway. I don't have too many options for mixing - other than Glenfiddich 12, I have Glenlivet 12 and 15 and that's about it. I also have Bunnahabhain and Lagavulin but we prefer to drink them neat.

The Bowmore Legend looks interesting - I will keep my eyes open for it!

Dump the scotch and go with a nice smokey mezcal instead. Sombra is a good place to start. Chris Carlsson recommends it as an "authentic" Blood and Sand. I found it to work quite well.

Maybe cut back the OJ a bit or make it a bit less sweet by using Luxardo Maraschino instead of Cherry Heering which is almost cough syrup sweet. Not familair with the Luxardo Cherry liqueur but i would guess that is pretty sweet as well.

Maybe make up a bit for the lost OJ with an orange liqueur. Never used it in this drink but Solerno Blood Orange liqueur comes to mind as an interesting option.

Edited December 11, 2012 by tanstaafl2 (log)

[Will]

@Chris -- The problem with mixing with something like Talisker is that it raises the bar for the cocktail: it needs to beat a glass of Talisker neat. Bowmore Legend, maybe?

I checked and don't have Talisker anyway. I don't have too many options for mixing - other than Glenfiddich 12, I have Glenlivet 12 and 15 and that's about it. I also have Bunnahabhain and Lagavulin but we prefer to drink them neat.

The Bowmore Legend looks interesting - I will keep my eyes open for it!

Dump the scotch and go with a nice smokey mezcal instead. Sombra is a good place to start. Chris Carlsson recommends it as an "authentic" Blood and Sand. I found it to work quite well.

Maybe cut back the OJ a bit or make it a bit less sweet by using Luxardo Maraschino instead of Cherry Heering which is almost cough syrup sweet. Not familair with the Luxardo Cherry liqueur but i would guess that is pretty sweet as well.

Based on the color, maybe just back off on the amount of Heering? I know part of the color comes from the vermouth, but it looks a bit redder than I usually see (it's been quite a while since I've made one, though). Are you using equal parts of everything? I like the classic (equal parts) method, but one online recipe suggests doing 1 oz each scotch and orange juice, and .75 oz each of the heering and sweet vermouth.

It comes down to personal preference (I know some people like the flecks of ice), but I would also suggest double-straining or dry-shaking some more after straining (a technique I saw just recently which works really well) to get rid of those bits of ice.

I made a twist with Seville (bitter) orange juice instead of the orange and rye instead of scotch called The Catcher in the Rye, which is quite good.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Will (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Based on the color, maybe just back off on the amount of Heering? I know part of the color comes from the vermouth, but it looks a bit redder than I usually see (it's been quite a while since I've made one, though). Are you using equal parts of everything? I like the classic (equal parts) method, but one online recipe suggests doing 1 oz each scotch and orange juice, and .75 oz each of the heering and sweet vermouth.

It comes down to personal preference (I know some people like the flecks of ice), but I would also suggest double-straining or dry-shaking some more after straining (a technique I saw just recently which works really well) to get rid of those bits of ice.

I made a twist with Seville (bitter) orange juice instead of the orange and rye instead of scotch called The Catcher in the Rye, which is quite good.

This was equal parts. Luxardo Sangue Morlacco has a deep ruby color (sangue = blood, which seemed appropriate).

Re: double straining, you are right and the small crystals bothered me for a second or two, but they had melted by the time I had finished posting the photo... and at that point I was more concerned about not finding the cocktail to my taste.

[FrogPrincesse]

This one had potential and an interesting name, but I should have trusted my guts. Way too much sweetener. I would make it again with 1/4-1/2 oz cinnamon syrup (instead of 3/4 oz; this was the BG Reynold FKA Trader Tiki syrup), and 1/4-1/3 oz cherry liqueur (instead of 1/2 oz).

More Scotch than Sincerity: scotch, lemon juice, cinnamon syrup, cherry liqueur, angostura bitters

Oh and I finally killed that bottle of Glenfiddich 12, so it's finally time to buy something new for scotch cocktails. What should I get? I was thinking Highland Park 12.

[mkayahara]

Can't go wrong with Highland Park. Next up on my list would be one of the Balvenie bottlings, I think. Though single malt Scotch is rapidly getting out of my price range.

[Rafa]

I just replaced my bottle of Bank Note 5 (an excellent high-malt blend with light sherry and a bit of smoke from Bowmore) with a bottle of Speyburn 10 Single Malt, and that does a fair job in cocktails wherever Scotch is called for generically.

[Hassouni]

Can't go wrong with Highland Park. Next up on my list would be one of the Balvenie bottlings, I think. Though single malt Scotch is rapidly getting out of my price range.

Stick with HP. I've not been too impressed with Balvenie.

[haresfur]

Since I make so few scotch cocktails, I just use my Aberlour A'bunadh. It seems to work well enough.

Edited January 29, 2014 by haresfur (log)

[Hassouni]

Oh man, I'd love to feel flush enough to do that!

[Blether]

Spike a good cava with a bit of good blended scotch and you'll feel flush enough.

[KD1191]

Can't go wrong with Highland Park. Next up on my list would be one of the Balvenie bottlings, I think. Though single malt Scotch is rapidly getting out of my price range.

Stick with HP. I've not been too impressed with Balvenie.

I'll almost always choose American whiskey over Scotch, but the Balvenie 21 is in my top 10 whiskies of all time. I like the Doublewood (12 year, the 17 is crap) quite a bit for mixing.

[Hassouni]

At $40-50, Balvenie Doublewood is expensive as a base spirit mixer, and I don't think it's all that great for drinking neat. Pass.

[mkayahara]

At $40-50, Balvenie Doublewood is expensive as a base spirit mixer, and I don't think it's all that great for drinking neat. Pass.

I would be overjoyed if I could get it for $50. Around here, it's priced at $84.95.

[Hassouni]

wow, the 12 year?

[mkayahara]

wow, the 12 year?

Yessir.

[FrogPrincesse]

I went for bold last night with the Brass Rail (Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin). 2 oz Highland Park 12 years (the recipe called for a blended scotch), 0.5 oz Averna, 1 dash of orange bitters (I used a mix of Regan and Fee), lemon zest.

It tasted boozy, smoky, a little bitter. A slight metallic taste also.