We’re humbled and proud that WhiskyCast’s Mark Gillespie is the winner of the International Wine & Spirits Competition’s 2023 Spirits Communicator Trophy. Thanks to all of you for listening along with our sponsors. Without your support over the years, this wouldn’t have been possible and we are truly grateful!
Many press releases from firms representing whisky brands, bars, or restaurants come with a cocktail recipe or two. Rather than waste the hard work of bartenders who created those recipes, we’re sharing them with the WhiskyCast community here. Recipes provided by whisky companies and their PR firms will be identified as such, and just because a recipe specifies a certain brand doesn’t mean you can’t use what you already have at home.
September 6, 2022 – The folks at KO Distilling in Manassas, Virginia created this cocktail using their Bare Knuckle Bourbon, and it sounds like something perfect for a chilly autumn day.
2 ounces of Bare Knuckle Bourbon Whiskey
3/4 ounce lemon juice
4 ounces of apple cider
Nutmeg
Add Bare Knuckle Bourbon and lemon juice to a rocks glass filled with ice. Top off with apple cider and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
September 6, 2022 – Christine Wiseman of Broken Shaker created this cocktail for Aberfeldy to celebrate National Honey Month. It combines citrus flavors with the honey sweetness found in Aberfeldy 12 Years Old.
1.5 ounces of Aberfeldy 12 Year Old
1/2 ounce of Martini bitters
1 ounce of grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce of lime juice
1/2 ounce of local honey
Build in a Collins glass and top with crushed ice. Garnish with mint and flower.
January 13, 2022 – Our friends (and sponsors) at Dewar’s shared this recipe for a traditional mizuwari-style highball featuring their Japanese Smooth Blended Scotch finished in Mizunara Oak casks.
50ml of Dewar’s Japanese Smooth
100ml chilled Fever-Tree soda water
Orange twist
Frozen highball glass (left in freezer)
Start by pouring the Dewar’s Japanese Smooth into the frozen highball glass, then add one long spear of ice. Fill the glass with soda, but do not stir (metal squelches the bubbles!). Squeeze the orange zest oils over the top of the highball, then place the twist on top to garnish.
Novikov Restaurant and Bar is a mainstay in London’s Mayfair neighborhood, and this is head bartender Maurizio Graverni’s take on the classic Penicillin cocktail.
A double shot of Johnnie Walker Black Label
A half shot of peat-heavy whisky (such as Lagavulin or Laphroaig)
One whole lemon freshly squeezed
One teaspoon of honey
Three pieces of fresh ginger
Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, then stir to dissolve the honey and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Stir the drink in an Old Fashioned glass full of ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel and ginger slice.
Our friends (and sponsors) at Dewar’s shared this recipe for a light and cool summertime cocktail featuring the Dewar’s 15 Year Old.
45 milliliters of Dewar’s 15 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky
15 milliliters of peach liqueur
12.5 milliliters of lemon juice
12.5 milliliters of sugar syrup
50 milliliters of coconut water
50 milliliters of Fever-Tree Soda Water
Mint sprig and a peach slice
Add all ingredients except for the soda water to a cocktail shaker, then shake briskly with cubed ice, then pour over fresh cubed ice in a highball glass. Top with the soda water, then garnish with a mint sprig and a peach slice.
May 1, 2021 – Aberfeldy has been very active in creating cocktails based on its 12-year-old Highland single malt Scotch, and these are two of the team’s latest creations.
Highland Summer
1 ounce of Aberfeldy 12
1 ounce of Chinola Passionfruit Liqueur
½ ounce of lime juice
¼ ounce of simple syrup
Top with ginger beer
Shake all of the ingredients except the ginger beer. Pour over ice in glass, then top with ginger beer and stir. Garnish with a spiced-salt dusted lime wheel.
Honey Sour
2 ounces of Aberfeldy 12
1 ounce of lemon juice
¾ ounce of honey water
1 dash of Angostura bitters
1 egg white
Shake all of the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker, then remove the ice and dry shake. Double-strain into a rocks glass with clean ice and garnish with honeycomb.
May 1, 2021 – While the Mint Julep is most often associated with the Kentucky Derby, Woodford Reserve has offered this alternative as part of its partnership with the Derby and Churchill Downs. Note that for those who want a non-alcoholic alternative, this recipe works just fine without the Bourbon.
1.5 ounces of Woodford Reserve
2 ounces of lemonade
1 ounce of cranberry juice
Serve over ice and add a lemon twist to garnish,
May 1, 2021 – While Old Forester’s second annual “Kentucky Turtle Derby” has tongue firmly in cheek, this Bourbon-based variation on the Mojito is a serious cocktail.
1.5 ounces of Old Forester 86 Bourbon
0.5 ounce of fresh lime juice
0.5 ounce of simple syrup
6 mint leaves
Club soda, to top
Muddle the first 4 ingredients together in a cocktail shaker, then shake with ice. Add club soda to the shaker, then pour into glass and garnish with a mint sprig.
April 15, 2021 – Aberfeldy has been working with beekeepers and bartenders for more than a year now to preserve bee populations and create cocktail recipes featuring Aberfeldy’s single malt Scotch Whisky and honey. This recipe should help keep you cool on a hot summer day.
1.5 ounces of Aberfeldy 12 Years Old
1/2 ounce of local honey syrup (mix 1 part honey and 1 part water)
Chilled Chamomile tea
Stir together the whisky and honey syrup in a highball glass. Add ice cubes and chilled chamomile tea, then stir. Garnish with a lemon twist and a dried chamomile flower.
April 15, 2021 – Mint Juleps have been around for a long time, and this Derby Day recipe from Woodford Reserve for the 2021 edition of the $1,000 Mint Julep Cup charity fundraiser revives one of the popular Mint Julep recipes from the late 1800’s.
2 ounces of Woodford Reserve Bourbon
1/2 ounce of cherry juice
1/2 of a vanilla bean pod cut into small segments
1 teaspoon of powdered sugar
Mint sprig, cherry, and vanilla bean pod for garnish
Crushed ice
In a julep cup, add the cherry juice, vanilla bean pod segments, and powdered sugar, then muddle or mix together. Add crushed ice to fill 2/3 of the cup, then add 2 ounces of Woodford Reserve. Top off with crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig, cherry, and vanilla bean pod.
