What makes a great Whisk(e)y Cocktail?
© Felipe Schrieberg
Author: Felipe Schrieberg
What characteristics actually make a good drink with whisk(e)y? Our guest author and whisk(e)y expert Felipe Schrieberg got to the bottom of this question.
It’s hard to believe that not that long ago whisk(e)y cocktails were viewed as a form of heresy. Australian Jason Scott, co-founder of top Edinburgh cocktail bars Bramble, Lucky Liquor and The Last Word was surprised at the pushback he received when he began mixing up whisk(e)y cocktails not long after he moved to Scotland: “When I started in 1998, there was a focus on whisk(e)y but there was a lot of gatekeeping. At most you could only add a touch of water!”
However, thanks to him and other mavericks who ignored ‘tradition’ in the early and mid-2000s, it’s safe to say that top quality whisk(e)y is now universally considered by the whisk(e)y industry, as well as the wider drinks and hospitality sector, as an excellent ingredient and base for many irresistible cocktails. Just as importantly, it opens whisk(e)y as a category to consumers, especially younger drinkers, who normally wouldn’t be interested in it.
© Ryan Chetiyawardana
The story behind a drink
To multi-award-winning bar entrepreneur Ryan Chetiyawardana (who started his bartending career at Bramble), whisk(e)y offers a panoply of irresistible aromas and flavours that other spirits can’t match: “Whisk(e)y offers the widest set of flavours of any category – it runs the gauntlet of light and floral through to rich and meaty. But it also has such a diversity of story behind it, from amazing history through to great stories of locality and agriculture.”
Certainly, if you take easy-to-make and/or historic cocktails like an Old Fashioned or a Whisk(e)y Sour or even a basic highball, swapping in whiskies with radically different profiles means it will deeply shape the flavours and experience that drink provides.
And as Chetiyawardana mentions, the stories behind the drinks can also be very meaningful. For example, considering a historical perspective, if you drink a humble whisk(e)y highball with Scotch, ice and soda, you’re appreciating almost the exact same serve drinkers loved in the late 19th century, especially in the U.S., when carbonisation technology was first developed. Use a Suntory or Nikka whisk(e)y, especially one like Suntory Kakubin if you can get it, and you get the drink singlehandedly responsible for the postwar revival of the Japanese whisk(e)y industry in the 60s and 70s.
Tips for whisk(e)y in cocktails
There is dizzying number of rich multifaceted stories like these to be found across many a whisk(e)y cocktail. When it comes to actually creating successful and delicious whisk(e)y-based concoctions, both Scott and Chetiyawardana agree that the whisk(e)y used needs to be respected, and additional components must complement the whisk(e)y’s character. Chetiyawardana recommends getting really familiar with a whisk(e)y’s profile as well as classic cocktails: “Taste the whisk(e)y neat, and taste it diluted with water to find facets or nuances that hide beneath the surface. Marrying this with an established classics base will allow you to get to a place where you're able to highlight a new side to the whisk(e)y in a balanced manner”, he comments.
Scott uses the example of (in)famously smoky peated Scotch whisk(e)y…“Ardbeg or any heavily peated Islay whiskies, they go on for ever! They’re a gift that keeps on giving. So, you’re trying to balance those flavours, retaining integrity and structure while making it more approachable. It’s about nuance. Ardbeg is like a velvet hammer. So, the trick is in rounding out those flavours while delivering them in a different format.”
He also offers two helpful tips that he says are always successful if he’s coming up with a whisk(e)y cocktail. The first is if a recipe calls for sugar (or sugar syrup), add vanilla. As one of the world’s best-known flavours, many drinkers can relate to vanilla even if they can’t pick it out when tasting it in a cocktail: “That gives them something to hang on to, a connection. It’s an easy way to add another layer of flavour without imposing too much. All you need is your sugar syrup – one part water, one part sugar and add a vanilla bean or some high-quality extract. Awesome.”
© Jason Scott
He also loves adding walnut bitters whenever he’s using whisk(e)y. Bitters add complexity and make drinks last longer: “Walnut bitters really are magical and pair well with any whisk(e)y and help blend in its flavours in a cocktail.”
We have a great examples of how to successfully showcase a whisk(e)y’s unique profile:
Seattle Spritz
Chetiyawardana explains: “We’re using the mango and orchard fruit notes from Westland single malt, but pulling it into a much more summery and aperitif direction. This is a great drink to demonstrate the growing category of complex American single malt, and a wonderful showcase of whisk(e)y fitting in brighter-style occasions!”
Glass: Spritz, highball or sling glass
Garnish: Mint sprig
- 35ml Westland Flagship
- 20ml Aperol
- 10ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 10ml Sugar Syrup
- 8-10 Mint Leaves
- 100ml Club Soda
Build the drink over crushed ice in the glass and garnish with the mint sprig.
