Scotch: it’s not just for sipping neat in your smoking jacket beside the fire. Although, that’s certainly a fine use of both scotch and your leisure time. But scotch also makes a fine addition to cocktails, whether you’re fortifying something rich and warming or you’re looking for a lighter drink more indicative of spring.
So below, we’ve got a couple refreshing cocktails made with The Black Grouse, a smooth blend of The Famous Grouse with smoky peated malts. It’s a fine whisky for crafting cocktails — neither too overpowering nor too light — and it plays well with a variety of ingredients. In this case, the quaffable Presbyterian Revenge combines scotch with bright lemon juice and bittersweet Cynar. And the Good Morning Milan calls on mascarpone milk and sage-honey syrup for a result that’s smoky, sweet and luxurious.
Presbyterian Revenge
This cocktail was created by John McCarthy of Bathtub Gin, a bar in NYC.
1.5 oz The Black Grouse Scotch Whisky
.75 oz Cynar
.25 oz Lemon Juice
.25 oz Simple Syrup
1 Dash Grapefruit Bitters
Shake and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Top with a splash of soda, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Good Morning Milan
The below recipe was first created at PDT, also a fine cocktailing institution in NYC.
2 oz The Black Grouse Scotch Whisky
.75 oz Lemon Juice
.75 oz Sage-Honey Syrup
.5 oz Mascarpone Milk*
2 Dashes of Lavender Tincture
Egg White
Dry shake all ingredients without ice, then shake again with ice and strain into a chilled Collins glass. Top with soda, and garnish with lavender.
*To make mascarpone milk, blend equal parts mascarpone and whole milk until smooth.
