If You Love Scotch Whisky, You Need to Try These 8 Simple Cocktail Recipes
When you have a bottle of Scotch, the world is your oyster.
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter
As the weather cools down, we find ourselves reaching for bourbon, rye, and Scotch whiskey a little more often. Food & Wine contributor Brian Freedman explains that both Scotch and bourbon are technically categorized as whisk(e)y, meaning they’re wood-aged spirits that have been distilled from a fermented mash of grains. "In Scotland, barley is the dominant grain, and single malt Scotch whisky, for example, must be composed entirely of malted barley. Single malt Scotch is the product of a single distillery, as opposed to a blend of distillates or maturates from multiple distilleries," he writes.
We like to use Scotch whiskey as a smoky, subtly spiced counterpart to bittersweet Campari, like in the Paris Between the Wars, or in a simple highball, like a classic Scotch & Soda. If you happen to have a bottle of Drambuie on hand, you have to whip up a Rusty Nail (or two). Here's how to make some of our favorite Scotch cocktails.
Paris Between the Wars
With rich smokiness from the blended Scotch, rounded bitterness from Campari, and a tart bite from fresh lemon juice, this cocktail is well-balanced and refreshing.
It's Bitter to Be Hoppy
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon
This scotch cocktail gets its bright orange tint from Aperol, balanced with citrus and some zippy IPA.
Scotch and Soda
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food styling by Lucy Simon
This simple, two-ingredient drink showcases the genius of a highball cocktail where a spirit is mixed with club soda. Not only does this one-two punch combination elongate a spirit like Scotch into a taller drink, club soda dilutes the strong spirit while also intensifying its aromas through its effervescence.
Mr. J
Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Port-finished Scotch blends with coffee and chocolate in this fireside-ready cocktail.
Penicillin
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Oset Babür-Winter
Smoky Scotch meets bracing ginger and sweet honey in a classic Penicillin cocktail.
The Belmont
To replicate the flavor of smoked Galliano, this Scotch cocktail uses smoky Islay Scotch.
Blood & Sand
This classic Scotch cocktail’s name is a tribute to the 1922 silent movie Blood and Sand, which stars Rudolph Valentino as a poor young Spaniard who eventually becomes a great matador. Fruity and only faintly smoky, it’s an approachable drink for people who aren’t sure they like Scotch.
Rusty Nail
The exact origin of the Rusty Nail drink is difficult to pin down, but it gained popularity in the mid-20th century, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s. It's often associated with the Rat Pack era and the cocktail culture of that time. The name "Rusty Nail" is believed to have originated from the drink's color and the perception that it had a somewhat "rusty" appearance due to the amber hue of the Scotch whisky and the dark color of Drambuie.
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