WHISKY COCKTAILS
Summer serve shake-up
Head to any of our Members’ Rooms and you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to whisky. But what about for those times when you want something a bit different? You’re in luck, our Members’ Rooms have a brand-new cocktail menu — ready to be stirred, shaken and poured just for you
WORDS: MADS SCHMOLL PHOTOS: PETER SANDGROUND
Our team love to get creative with flavour and as we celebrate all things Scotch and sherry this year, we challenged them to take on the theme – in the form of a cocktail competition between our four Members’ Rooms across the UK.
The winning drink was created by Glasgow Bath Street’s Society ambassador Kris Grimes. He came up with the Flight to Jerez, a serve inspired by the classic Paper Plane cocktail with sherried whisky at its heart and Aperol, Cointreau, saline solution and lemon juice shaken together and strained. The result is a cocktail with punchy citrus flavours, sweet sherry depth and a beautifully viscous mouthfeel. You can try a Flight to Jerez at all four of our Members’ Rooms this month.
If you’d rather get tropical, there are plenty of options. We were drawn to Bath Street’s Santa Compaña, a whisky cocktail featuring mezcal, lime, chilli and pineapple. If you’re in London you can’t go wrong with Greville Street’s classic Mai-Tai, complete with our single cask rum. At Queen Street in the centre of Edinburgh? Although we wish it weren’t so topical, the Dreich & Howlin’ cocktail is apt for the Scottish summer, with an in-house spiced rum topped up with ginger beer.
Should the weather improve, a highball is always on the cards. Head to The Vaults for their signature summer serve: the Dream Soda, a sherry-inspired highball with house cream soda, orange and our JG Thomson Rich. The blended whisky is packed with aromas of raisins, sultanas and orange peel on the nose and figs, dates and dried spices on the palate.
ABOVE: A Society sherry-matured whisky is at the heart of Kris Grimes’ Flight to Jerez cocktail
PICTURED: Kris mixes up a classic Whisky Sour at our Bath Street Members’ Room bar in Glasgow
ABOVE: Society Whisky Sour
ABOVE: Get tropical with a Santa Compaña
ABOVE: Try a Dream Soda at The Vaults
While we’re on the subject of sherry, let’s not forget the classics. If you’re Edinburgh-bound, we recommend the Black Rob Roy, our own sherried twist on a Manhattan.
With the addition of Averna and a combination of orange and aromatic bitters, this drink can be served neat or over ice, offering a fusion of big bold flavours. If you’re a fan of a pre-dinner aperitif — this is the one for you.
With National Whiskey Sour Day at the end of this month, there’s plenty of time to hone your craft, but if you’d rather treat yourself to a drink out on the town, our Greville Street team in London are more than happy to shake up this classic cocktail – complete with Scotch whisky and a cherry (or two) on top!
ABOVE: The Black Rob Roy is Queen Street’s twist on a Manhattan
TAKE A FLIGHT TO JEREZ AT HOME
Ingredients 2 dashes saline solution (2:1)
15ml lemon juice
15ml Aperol
20ml Cointreau
20ml Sherried whisky (we used Cask No. 85.92: Fires the Imagination)
Orange zest
You’ll also need: A cocktail shaker, ice, strainer, Nick & Nora glass (or use a small wine glass if you don't have one)
Method
Shake all ingredients together with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a Nick & Nora and garnish with a discarded orange zest.