While this isn’t a complicated cocktail as such, it may take a bit more work than the others I’ve posted so far. This is due to the fact that you may not be able to find one of the ingredients, Sour Mix, in your local shop and thus would either have to order it online or make it yourself. For the great number of Jack Daniel’s fans out there, though, I’m sure it will be worth it! I personally quite enjoy it (like a Whisky Sour) on a warm summer day.

You’ll need:

• 1 measure Jack Daniels – can be substituted for other sour mash whiskies or Bourbon
• 1 measure Triple Sec – an orange liqueur, if you don’t have/can’t get any, you can use  Cointreau
• 1 measure Sour Mix
• 4 measures of Lemonade
• 4-5 cubes of Ice

Method:

Should you have sour mix at hand, all you need to do is put the ice into a Tom Collins glass, add the remaining ingredients and stir gently until combined. Serve with a wedge of lemon. If you don’t have access to sour mix, you’ll need to make some yourself. Fear not, I’ve got a decent recipe for you.

You’ll need:

• 225 grams of Sugar
• 1 pint of water
• 100ml of fresh Lime juice
• 100ml of fresh Lemon juice
• 1 Egg white

Method:

Warm the water slightly; about 40 degrees (just over finger-warm) will do fine, then poor into a suitable glass, jar or bowl for mixing with the other ingredients. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved into the water. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the lemon and lime juice and stir thoroughly, then add the egg white and stir further until you’ve got a nice, smooth mixture. Keep any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge.

I’ve already posted a recipe for Rob Roy, which may seem a bit backwards, seeing as it is basically a variation of Manhattan, which is seen as the “original”. The difference between a classic Manhattan (there are many varieties) and a Rob Roy is basically the Whisk(e)y used – while Rob Roy uses Scottish whisky, a Manhattan is made with Bourbon or Rye.

You’ll need:

• 2 measures of Rye whiskey or Bourbon – I’d recommend Rittenhouse Straight Rye
• 1 measure of sweet Vermouth (red, or Rosso, is often used)
• A dash of Angostura Bitters
• 4-5 cubes of Ice, crushed

Method:

Put the crushed ice in a decent sized glass; add Whiskey, Vermouth and Bitters. Stir gently until all the ingredients come together. To serve, strain into a chilled Cocktail glass.

I literally have no history to give you for this cocktail, or anything else of interest really. All I know is that it is an American cocktail, probably from New York.

You’ll need:

• 1½ measures of Scottish Whisky – I’d recommend Ardbeg 10 year old for the job
• ½-¾ measure of Drambuie
• 4-5 cubes of Ice

Method:

This is about as straight forward as it gets; fill an Old Fashioned glass with ice, pour in the Whisky and the Drambuie, gently stir. If you don’t have an old fashioned glass, use any other ‘short and stout’ glass you have kicking about!

A rather fancy name for a rather snazzy cocktail, I love this stuff on a warm summer day. The only problem is that you can only really make it if you’re a rather heavy drinker or have guests, as it I at least find the selection of miniature sparkling white or champagne is quite limited. This is guaranteed to go down a treat with some chocolate cake by the way, the darker the better!

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This one usually goes down nicely with the ladies at any time or with pretty much anyone after a big meal when you want something sweet. While the recipe calls for a shaker, don’t let that put you off if you don’t have one, a thermos will do just fine.

You’ll need:

• 2 parts Bourbon (as ever, Benchmark is good for the purpose)
• 1 part Midori (melon liqueur, available at most supermarkets)
• 1 part fresh lime juice
• 3 parts apple juice
• Chilled ginger beer (not ale!)
• A tall glass
• A fair bit of ice

Method

Fill your shaker (thermos/whatever other creative solution you’ve come up with) about half way up with ice then add everything but the ginger beer and give it a good old shake. Grab 2-3 ice cubes for the tall glass then strain the contents of your shaker into the glass and top up with the ginger beer.

You will notice that I’m going to cut down on my incessant babbling for most of these recipes. Unless there’s a particularly interesting history behind the drink, or some other anecdote, I will try to be fairly to-the-point. As any visitor to Scotland will be all but too aware, keeping things short is an exercise in extreme self control to most Scotsmen.

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