Scotch
Spirits · usually a base spirit · in 5 cocktails here
What it is
Malted barley whisky from Scotland. Blends suit mixing; peated single malts bring smoke and are usually used in small amounts.
Typically about £24 a bottle in the UK.
What it tastes like
Malted barley, cereal and honey in a blend; peated whiskies add smoke, iodine and salt. Blends are gentler and better suited to mixing.
What it does in a drink
Base spirit — and, when peated, an aromatic accent used in small amounts to add smoke to a drink built on something else.
Cocktails with scotch
Unlocks 5 recipes on Drinki.
Best known
- Rusty Nail IBA Scotch with the heather-honey dial turned up.
- Penicillin IBA Modern classic. The ginger and honey do the heavy lifting.
- Godfather Two ingredients, no tools, twenty seconds.
- Whisky Highball Japan perfected this. Cold glass, cold soda, one stir.
- Hot Toddy Hot but never boiling — boiling water scalds the whisky.
What it pairs with
The ingredients that turn up alongside scotch far more often than chance would predict.
Substitutes
Nothing substitutes for scotch convincingly.