Celebrate St. Andrew’s Day with this trio of Scotch Whisky cocktails

It’s late November and Salt Lake City cocktailians with any sort of affection for Scotland (or Scotch Whisky) are preparing to celebrate Saint Andrew’s Day.  Saint Andrew has been the patron saint of Scotland since the tenth century, a date that pre-dates Scotch Whisky by four or five hundred years.  Nevertheless, celebrating his day is an excellent excuse for toasting Scotland with a some good Scotch Whisky.  Many will salute the day by sipping a glass of single malt, but those of you who enjoy cocktails have more options.  The Utah Mixologist usually uses a blended Scotch in cocktails.  If you have a favorite blended Scotch, stick with it, but if you don’t have one yet, you might want to give Dewar’s™ White Label (CS# 004866, $25) a try.  Once you have a bottle of blended Scotch in hand, you are ready to select a cocktail.  Here are three classics that you should enjoy that all have three things in common.

The venerable Rob Roy is over 100 years old.  There is a recipe for the Rob Roy in the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), although the proportions of Scotch to Italian Vermouth (1:1) are not the ones in general use today (2:1). The Rob Roy is perhaps the classic Scotch Whisky cocktail.  If you enjoy making Manhattans, you already know the recipe: just substitute Scotch Whisky for the Bourbon or Rye.  If you’ve never had one, you’re in for a treat.

Our second cocktail can also be found in the Savoy.  The Bobby Burns is another cocktail using Scotch and Vermouth and sounds a bit like the Rob Roy, but has a little Benedictine thrown into the mix to reflect Bobby Burns less warlike and more poetic nature.  You should enjoy the interesting blend of herbals in the Vermouth and Benedictine combined with the peaty taste of the Scotch. 

Our third cocktail is the Blood and Sand.  The Blood and Sand, the youngest of the trio, is more of a concoction, containing Scotch, Vermouth, Cherry Heering Liqueur®, and Orange Juice.  Don’t let the color put you off, the flavor will surprise you.  You have probably noticed by now that all three of these cocktails have Scotch and Vermouth in common, and yes, the Blood and Sand may also be found in the Savoy.