Brilliance of Blasphemy? BenRiach Boss Beverages…

We see a lot of whisky purists get bent out of shape when people ‘ruin’ a perfectly good single malt (or two!) in a cocktail (how could you)!

Not being judgemental types here at The Whisky List and being BIG fans of whisky in ALL its forms and flavours, we can only implore you to trust us, broaden your horizons and drop your guard long enough to give these cocktails a whirl! (Did I fill the cliche meter on this paragraph?)

These work brilliantly (even if we do say so ourselves) with the excellent and varied single malts produced at The BenRiach, who produce whiskies which lend themselves to serve as both serious, contemplative sippers, and as the foundation of some great riffs on classic cocktails or more ‘experimental’ mixes.

For the uninitiated and undecided (non-believers!) people in your life, these recipes can be employed as a gateway to entice them further into the light, I mean world of malt whisky…

Smokin’ Bagpipe Highball
30ml BenRiach Curiositas 10 Year Old Peated / BenRiach Birnie Moss Intensely Peated
30ml BenRiach 10 Year Old
30ml Cold Lapsang Souchong Tea
15ml Sugar Syrup

Mix everything in a Highball glass — fill with ice then top with Soda Water — garnish with a lemon twist.

If you love it super smoky you could go both the Birnie Moss and Curiositas leaving out the BenRiach 10. A super refreshing way to enjoy a decent amount of smoky whisky on a warm spring evening or a hot summers day without people thinking you are a maniac… or a peat monster.

Old Fashioned Scotsman
30ml BenRiach Curiositas 10 Year Old Peated
30ml BenRiach 10 Year Old
15ml Honey/Simple Syrup
3 Dashes Fig Bitters

Stir down ingredients over ice in Collins/mixing glass for 20–30 seconds until the desired dilution and temperature are achieved. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube (or two) and express a lime twist over the drink, rub in the rim of the glass and drop in the drink and serve.

Honey syrup works better here and is super easy to make ahead of time by bringing equal parts honey and water to a boil then turning it down to a simmer until the honey is fully disolved then storing in an airtight container in the fridge until needed. In this case I’ve steered away from the more traditional bitters as think the fruity bitter notes of the Fig Bitters really cut through the smoke of the Curiosistas — and with the honey — bring out the classic bourbon and sherry notes of the 10 year old a treat.

A Scot and a Spaniard walk into a Bar in Manhattan…
50ml BenRiach 10 Year Old
10ml BenRiach Curiositas 10 Year Old Peated
10ml Honey Syrup (1:1 Honey water reduction)
15ml Pedro Ximénez
15ml Sweet Vermouth

Stir down ingredients over ice in Collins/mixing glass for 20–30 seconds until the desired dilution and temperature are achieved. Strain into a chilled couple glass (while looking very smug/debonair). Express lemon on top of the cocktail then use to garnish for extra style points.

Classy (and boozy) AF and highlights the whisky a treat with the port and vermouth enfolding the scotch like a warm hug. A neat trick to chill the glass if you don’t have room in your freezer for glassware is to fill the coupe glass with ice and water while you prep the cocktail tipping out at the last second before straining the cocktail into it.

Sweet and Sour Scot
55ml BenRiach Heart of Speyside
5ml BenRiach Curiositas 10 Year Old Peated
15ml Pineapple Infused Sake
25ml Lemon Juice
15ml Simple Syrup
30ml Pineapple Juice

Shake everything vigorously in a cocktail shaker with a good amount of ice for 60 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass cointaing fresh ice and garnish with a wedge of pineapple. You can leave out the Sake as it’s not that easy to come by (unless you have access to a really good bottle shop) or replace with some Vodka infused with pineapple.

A delicious riff on a sour with no egg white so technically Vegan(?) with the Pineapple working well with the earthy flavours in the Heart of Speyside and the hint of smoke imparted by the small amount of Curiositas — the chillier its served the better. Perfect for a BBQ on a hot summers day.

Cheers!
The Whisky List

Photos Courtesy of May Lawrence Photography