Whisky: some famous cocktails

In my previous article, I talked to you about famous gin-based cocktails. Today, let me briefly discuss whisky, and then I’ll suggest five cocktails made with this well-known distilled spirit that needs no introduction.

Index:

• Whisky: Some Information
• How to Choose a Good Whisky
• God Father
• Irish Coffee
• Manhattan
• Old Fashioned
• Whiskey Sour

Whisky: Some Information

Whisky or whiskey is a distilled spirit obtained from the fermentation of barley alone or in combination with other cereals in varying proportions.

The most famous whisky is Scotch, followed by Irish whiskey. In reality, Scotland and Ireland vie for the top spot in whisky production. Irish whiskey tends to be smoother on the palate and lacks the peaty notes.

In third place, there’s American whiskey, with a dominant flavor of corn or rye.

Next is Canadian whisky, produced with rye-based mashes.

Lastly, there’s Japanese whisky, inspired by Scotch production.

How to Choose a Good Whisky

Whiskey or whisky: whiskey refers to Irish or American, while whisky is Scottish.

Categories:

• Blended Scotch: a blend of grain and malt whiskies, usually lighter and more affordable.
• Single Malt: whisky from a single distillery.
• Blended Malt: a blend of single malts from two or more distilleries.
• Cask Strength: whisky aged in the cask.
• Single Cask: bottled directly from the cask.

Which one to choose? If undecided, opt for a blended malt for a perfectly balanced flavor profile.

Glass: The correct glass for savoring whisky is a wide and straight tumbler or a tulip-shaped glass.

Tasting: A good whisky should be balanced and elegant both on the nose and palate. Additionally, when held up to the light, a good whisky appears clean, clear, and bright.

God Father

This cocktail is suitable for after-dinner enjoyment.

Ingredients

• 3.5 cl Scotch Whisky
• 3.5 cl amaretto

Preparation

• Pour all ingredients into an old-fashioned glass with ice cubes.
• Stir gently

Irish Coffee

Origin

This cocktail is said to have originated from the bartender’s attentiveness to a customer at the bar. Joe Sheridan, a barman at Shannon Airport in Ireland, served a variation of traditional Irish tea and whiskey with Irish coffee and lightly whipped fresh cream.

Ingredients

• 4 cl Irish Whiskey
• 9 cl hot coffee
• 3 cl fresh cream
• 1 teaspoon of dark brown sugar

Preparation

• Mix in a suitable glass for hot beverages the hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and a teaspoon of dark brown sugar (e.g., Demerara)
• Float the cream on the surface

Manhattan

Origin

There are various stories about the origin of this cocktail. The most famous attributes its creation to the bar at the Manhattan Club in New York in 1874, during a party honoring the newly elected Governor W. J. Tilden.

The request supposedly came from Winston Churchill’s mother, who was attending the party.

Ingredients

• 5 cl Rye Whiskey
• 2 cl Red Vermouth
• 1 drop of Angostura
• 1 red maraschino cherry

Preparation

• Put all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice
• Mix quickly, bottom to top
• Pour and strain into a cocktail glass
• Garnish with a maraschino cherry

Old Fashioned

Origin

This cocktail, in the late 19th century, was reportedly prepared with Kentucky Bourbon Old 1776 in a wide, low glass.

During Prohibition, bartenders added an orange zest passed through sugar to mask the flaws of poor-quality alcohols.

Ingredients

• 4.5 cl bourbon, scotch, or rye whiskey
• 1 sugar cube
• 2 drops of Angostura
• some dashes of soda water

Preparation

• Place the sugar cube in an old-fashioned glass and pour over Angostura drops and some splashes of soda
• Muddle until the sugar dissolves
• Fill the glass with ice cubes
• Add the spirit
• Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry

Whiskey Sour

Origin

Bartender J. Thomas, known as The Professor, describes this cocktail in the first American mixology book, How to Mix Drinks, published in the United States in 1862. This cocktail was prepared with a spirit base, sugar, and lemon juice.

Ingredients

• 4.5 cl bourbon whiskey
• 3 cl fresh lemon juice
• 1.5 cl simple syrup
• 1 maraschino cherry and half an orange slice

Preparation

• Pour all ingredients into an ice-filled shaker
• Shake well
• Pour and strain into a cocktail glass or an old-fashioned glass
• Garnish with half an orange slice and a maraschino cherry