We’ve taken classic American whiskey cocktails and given them a twist with our BLEND #1 blended Scotch whisky.

Before the craft cocktail revival in the early 2000s, the only places I knew that did a proper cocktail in New York City were Angel’s Share and Milk & Honey. They were small, intimate bars that felt like Prohibition-era speakeasies, with secret entrances and moody, candle-lit rooms so dark that you couldn’t see the person you came with. They served some of the best cocktails I’ve ever tasted. But the exclusivity that comes with being a ‘hidden gem’ meant that most people never got to experience it. Back then, the majority of drinkers still had no idea what a real drink tasted like. 

This changed in 2003 with the opening of Julie Reiner’s Flatiron Lounge, which brought well-made cocktails to the masses. It raised the bar (sorry, shit pun) and trained the next wave of the city’s bartending superstars, who subsequently opened their own spots around town. In the blink of an eye, we had Employee’s Only, Pegu Club, Death & Company and more. By 2015, expertly-crafted cocktails were not only the norm, they were expected. 

During the resurgence, I became obsessed with Scotch whisky and started travelling to-and-from Scotland to learn what I could from the horse’s mouth. I spent quite a few nights at Bramble in Edinburgh – to me, the Flatiron Lounge of Europe, not just for its size, but also for its track record of training some of the best bartenders in the UK. One of the things I loved most about Bramble, aside from the novelty of watching Mike Aikman actually work a bar shift, was the consistent inclusion of Scotch whisky as a base in their drinks, with creative riffs on classic whisk(e)y cocktails that I hadn’t really seen outside of NYC.

In America, we’re all so bourbon-obsessed, but for the wrong reasons. The use of newly-charred American oak barrels is critical to its flavour, but we often forget that this wasn’t an innovative decision made by distillers. It was the result of a huge 1964 backhanded payoff from the timber industry, who lobbied the US government to make the use of new casks a legal requirement. This move continues to stifle creativity in American whiskey and has ultimately prevented the sector from evolving. Although there’s relatively more diversity nowadays, and I love a good rye whiskey, the affordable bourbons that most people reach for when making classic cocktails tend to be woody, one-dimensional and fall apart when diluted.

This was in the forefront of my mind when we set out to develop BLEND #1. I wanted to make a modern dram that sat somewhere between a light, distinctive Scotch and a complex bourbon, something that combined the best of both worlds, that could be easily sipped AND mixed. It took almost a year to nail, but we managed it – with a combination of sherried and virgin-oak single grain whiskies, Highland peat single malt and a short pre-bottle rest in port cask. As a result, I believe that we’ve created one of the most flexible, bar-friendly whiskies around and the perfect base for both Scotch-based cocktails, like the Penicillin, and simple riffs on American classics, like the ones we’ve dreamt up below.

SCOTCH SAZERAC

The Sazerac – one of America’s most iconic cocktails and Andrew’s all-time favourite. Created in New Orleans, this stiff drink originally called for cognac, absinthe, sugar and Antoine Peychaud’s locally made bitters. Rye whiskey only replaced cognac as the base of choice when Europeans grape vines were wiped out by Phyloxerra in the late 19th century. Here’s our ultra-exclusive variation using ONLY Sweetdram spirits, which we may or may not bottle as a pre-batched cocktail at some point.

60ml Sweetdram BLEND #1 Scotch whisky

12.5ml Sweetdram CASK-AGED MOONSHINE liqueur

5ml Sweetdram WHISKY AMARO

Sweetdram WILD ABSINTHE (to rinse)

½ tsp Light muscovado

Rinse a rocks glass with WILD ABSINTHE, swirling to coat the sides. Return any excess spirit to the bottle then add the light muscovado and WHISKY AMARO to the glass and muddle until the sugar dissolves. In a separate mixing glass, combine the remaining spirits, add ice and stir well (70x). Strain into the rocks glass. Garnish with orange peel.

SCOTCH MANHATTAN

There are several different versions of how the Manhattan cocktail was conceived, but the only thing we’re certain of is that it originated in NYC. This simple, tasty sipper is the combination of either rye or bourbon whiskey, sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters. Our version uses BLEND #1 Scotch whisky as a base instead, Whisky Amaro as the bitters, and a blend of vermouth and Escubac to give it that extra layer of aromatics. It’s big, boozy and delicious. We even created an alternate version of the alternate version, using only Scottish-made spirits.

50ml Sweetdram BLEND #1 Scotch whisky

12.5ml Sweetdram ESCUBAC

12.5ml Cocchi Torino vermouth

5ml Sweetdram WHISKY AMARO

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice and stir well (70x). Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

ALT SCOTCH MANHATTAN 

37.5ml Sweetdram BLEND #1 Scotch whisky

12.5ml Sweetdram ESCUBAC

25ml Valentian sweet vermouth

5ml Sweetdram WHISKY AMARO

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice and stir (40x). Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

SCOTCH BOULEVARDIER

The boulevardier is basically a negroni – but with whiskey subbed in for gin and served up instead of on the rocks. It was designed in the 1920s by American-born writer Erskine Gwynne, who later founded a magazine by the same name in Paris. This one will put hairs on your chest in the best possible way. 

25ml Sweetdram BLEND #1 Scotch whisky

25ml Sweetdram WHISKY AMARO

12.5ml Cocchi Torino vermouth

12.5ml Campari

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice and stir until chilled and slightly diluted (40-50x). Strain into a rocks glass with a single large ice cube. Garnish with a slice of orange.