6 Scotch Alternative Single Malt Cocktails

Who says you have to drink all single malts neat?

There’s a perception among single malt aficionados that they are just too rarefied to see the inside of a shaker. Not so. Single malt whiskies from around the world can add distinct aromas and flavors as well as layered, multi-dimensional nuances to cocktails. Here are a few to try.

(Editor’s note: in light of the recent 25% tariffs imposed on the sale of single malt Scotch in the US, we’ve chosen recipes that include fewer of those whiskies since their cost might become too prohibitive in the coming months to use on cocktail menus and home bars. However, at Alcohol Professor we will continue to recommend products affected by the tariffs as single bottle purchases in future articles, and wish for a speedy end to the trade disputes that brought them about in the first place.)

The Matador

Recipe courtesy of Fernando Bambaren, Bar Manager, Virtu Honest Craft, Scottsdale, Arizona

Inspired by the classic Blood & Sand, this libation gets a little bit of heat from chili oil while citric acid is used to balance out the sweetness. Two types of single malt whiskies lend two very different profiles: Westward’s maturation in toasted American oak barrels adds vanilla and brown sugar as well as sweet malt notes, while the Laphroaig adds a smoky layer.

¾ oz. Westward American Single Malt
¾ oz. blood orange purée
½ oz. Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
½ oz. Cointreau orange liqueur
¼ oz. Dopo Teatro Amaro
Pinch of citric acid (purchase online or in restaurant supply stores)
1 bar spoon Laphroaig 10 Year single malt Scotch
3 drops chili oil (house made or commercial brand)
Orange peel, for garnish

Add all ingredients except garnish to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until chilled. Double-strain into a frozen Irish coffee glass, express the orange peel and then use it as a garnish.

There can be only one!

Recipe courtesy of Trefor Davies, Beverage Manager, h Club Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Davies wanted to created a cocktail inspired by the belief and motto of the immortals in the television show The Highlander that also uses a Highland single malt. This version swaps it out for Stranahan’s Single Malt from Colorado, which is rich with notes of caramel, butterscotch, vanilla and baking spices and hails from a distillery high in the altitudes of Denver, CO.

1 oz. Stranahan’s American Single Malt whiskey
1 oz. Linie Aquavit
¾ oz. macadamia orgeat (recipe follows)
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
St. George Spirits Absinthe Verte in an atomizer, for garnish
Dehydrated lemon peel, for garnish

Add the first four ingredients to a cocktail glass, add ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe, spritz with four squirts of the absinthe in the atomizer and garnish with the dehydrated lemon peel.

For the macadamia orgeat:

Steep 2 cups macadamia nuts in hot tap water for 20 minutes, then strain off steeping liquid. Add 2 cups hot water to the macadamia nuts and blend until smooth. Add an additional 2 cups of hot water and let set for 2 days. Strain off the nut solids, place the liquid in a saucepan and over medium heat, add 4 cups sugar along with ⅛ oz. orange flower water and ½ oz. 151 overproof rum. Yields 1 ½ quarts, store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Tierra Alta

Recipe courtesy of Bar Manager Edward de Decker, Old Major, Denver, Colorado

When de Decker first tasted Nikka Coffey Grain he though its subtle mesquite BBQ smokiness would have a natural affinity for mezcal; this cocktail highlights that aspect of the whisky without alienating those unfamiliar with either spirit. “Cynar 70 proof is a great bridge for these two spirits, but made the cocktail have a bitter finish,” he admits. “The addition of salt in the form of saline, helps mellow out this bitterness, while the oils from the grapefruit twist bring out the subtle fruit notes of the whisky and the agave of the mezcal."

2 oz. Nikka Coffey Grain Single Malt Japanese Whisky
½ oz. mezcal (de Decker uses Los Vecinos)
½ oz. Cynar 70 Proof
½ oz. demerara syrup (2 parts demerara sugar to 1 part water, blended in a Vitamix or boiled to dissolve, then cooled)
orange peel, for garnish

Add all ingredients except garnish to a cocktail shaker, add ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a Double Old Fashioned Glass over a large ice cube and garnish with an orange twist.

Lazaretto

Recipe courtesy of Ari and Micah Wilder, Chaplin’s, Washington, D.C.

At the 1920s themed Japanese cocktail and izakaya den, beverage director Micah Wilder “wanted to create an innovative approach to pairing whiskey with pork belly to nibble and swill while listening to Jack White.” Westland’s honey and spice notes fortify this single malt-based tipple.

2 oz. Westland American Oak Single Malt Whiskey
¾ oz. Carpano Antica Vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Smoked apple ice (recipe follows)
Chunk of pork belly, for garnish

Add first three ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice and stir for 20 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over a smoked apple ice cube, and garnish with the pork belly.

For the smoked apple ice:

Cold smoke ice in cheesecloth for 1 hour to infuse the water as it melts. Combine equal parts pressed apple juice sweetened to taste with honey, and the smoky water, and freeze into large cubes.

Red on Top

Recipe courtesy of Taylor Shaver, General Manager, FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Shaver’s take on a New York Sour eschews bourbon for Scotch matured in fortified wine casks—and you could also use an Irish single malt aged in sherry casks to add flavorful, nutty structure. A southern Rhône blend is a great choice for a fruity, yet earthy wine float. “With autumn in our sights, we wanted a cocktail that reflects the colors and spirit of fall,” Shaver says. “The whiskey warms the pipes and gets us ready for nine months of darkness.”

Here is a recipe inspired by Shaver’s more luxe one at the bar, which uses a Madeira cask finished Scotch and Chateauneuf-du-Pape

1 oz. The Sexton Irish Single Malt Whiskey (silver medal winner in the 2019 NY International Spirits Competition)
¾ oz. lemon juice
¾ oz. simple syrup
½ oz. southern Rhône style red wine (syrah, grenache, mourvedre, a.k.a. GSM), for float
Brandied cherry and lemon wheel, for garnish

Add first three ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a Double Old Fashioned Glass over fresh ice, float the wine over the top of the glass using the back of a bar spoon, and garnish with a brandied cherry and lemon wheel.

The Fox Club

Recipe courtesy of Marc Rizzuto, Bartender, Holy Ground, New York, New York

This Old Fashioned variant is a way to enjoy summer’s signature flavors of grilled peaches and sweet corn all year long. The single malt uses the native wood of the Sonoran Desert—velvet mesquite—to replace the smokiness that peat gives Scotch. “Both smoky and savory, the mesquite marries well with the subtle peach, and contrasts with the bass and depth of the bourbon,” says beverage director Nathan Lithgow.

1 oz. Whiskey Del Bac Dorado Mesquite-Smoked Single Malt Whiskey
1 oz. bourbon
Bar spoon Giffard Pêche de Vigne
¼ oz. cane syrup
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Dehydrated peach slice, for garnish

Add all ingredients except garnish to a cocktail glass, add ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with the dehydrated peach slice.

Featured, Cocktails, American Single MaltKelly MagyaricsOctober 21, 2019drinkwire, highland scotch, upComment