Pre-Whisky Fest Fun: Day 4

Whisky Cocktails.  I could not think of two words that would make most whisky "aficionados" (AKA: Snobs) cringe more.  Even adding a cube of ice to a nice whisky is enough to raise the blood pressure of said "aficionados".  So it would come as no surprise if this following blog post gave a few people heart attacks, because this blog post is all about whisky cocktails!

Now before I begin, I do have one rules when making a cocktail with any spirit, not just whisky.  I'll never mix a spirit that I have to pay more than $80 dollars for.  To give you a good example of the ridiculous taxation on alcohol here in British Columbia, here are some very common bottles (750ml) and their prices:

• Ballantine's Finest - $25.99
• Glenfiddich 12 Year Old - $48.99
• Highland Park 12 Year Old - $66.95
• Laphroaig 10 Year Old - $84.99
• Lagavulin 16 Year Old - $124.99
• Macallan 18 - $249.99

Flower of Scotland

- 1 oz Glenfiddich 12 Year Old
- 1 oz Giffard's Ginger of the Indies
- 1 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
- 2 Dashes of Angostrua Bitters

- Add all ingredients to mixing glass
- Add ice and stir
- Strain into chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with a flamed lemon zest

The idea behind this cocktail was to deconstruct the flavours present in Glenfiddich 12 year old (ginger, christmas spices, citrus), and highlight those particular flavours.

Blood and Sand
- 1 oz Blened Scotch
- 0.75 oz Cherry Herring
- 0.75 oz Sweet Vermouth
- 1 oz Orange Juice

- Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker
- Add ice and shake
- Double Strain into chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with flamed orange zest

Blood and Sand

A favorite cocktail of mine, the Blood and Sand is a classic cocktail named after the equally classic 1922 movie of the same name.  

For this particular cocktail I like to use a blend with a pronounced smokiness, like Black Grouse.  I find that lightly smoky blends tend to get lost amounts all the other ingredients. 

One note about cherry herring, if you're like me and live in B.C. you probably know we can't get cherry herring here.  The best alternative is the cherry liqueur from Okanagan Spirits.

1806 Whisky & Cola
- 2 oz Bourbon
- 0.33 oz Kola Tonic
- 2 Dashes Chocolate Bitters
- 2 Dashes Fernet Branca

- At the bottom of a mixing glass muddle one large orange zest
- Add all remaining ingredients to mixing glass
- Add ice and stir
- Strain into chilled rocks glass with one large ice cube
- Garnish with flamed orange zest

1806 Whisky & Cola

An obvious twist on the Old-Fashioned, the 1806 Whisky & Cola is named after the year in which the word "Cocktail" was first defined in print.  If you are wondering what the hell kola tonic is, it is basically concerted cola syrup.  A quick google search of "Cola Syrup" will reveal various sites that carry the product.  If you are a B.C. resident, I suggest outofafricatrading.com. They are B.C. based so your product will arrive in no time. 

The Scofflaw
- 1.5 oz Rye Whisky
- 1 oz Dry Vermouth
- 0.75 oz Lemon Juice
- 0.75 oz Real Pomegranate Grenadine

- Add all ingredient to cocktail shaker
- Add ice and Shake
- Double Strain into chilled cocktail glass
- Garnish with a long thin lemon twist

Another classic prohibition era cocktail from Harry's New York Bar in Paris, The Scofflaw is a reference to the 20s term of the same name.  A "Scofflaw" was a term coined by the media to describe someone who enjoyed visiting his/her local speak-easy.