Celebrate National Scotch Day with these Whisky Cocktails

By Amanda Gabriele Published December 18, 2019

Happy National Scotch Day! As you probably know, this brown spirit is a malt or grain whisky made in Scotland and aged in oak barrels for at least three years. Whether you’re a single malt or blend type of guy, this is the day to drink this smokey libation. As with any day celebrating the consumption of spirits, we here at The Manual like to honor the occasion by sipping on a strong cocktail. So we asked some of our favorite scotch brands to send their best recipes so you can play mixologist at home.

Curious Scotsman — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Curious Scotsman
By Brandon Lockman of Red Star Tavern
Ingredients:
2 oz Monkey Shoulder scotch
1 oz Punt e Mes sweet vermouth
1 bar spoon Giffard crème du Banane liqueur
2 dash chocolate bitters

Recommended Videos

Method:
Stir in a mixing glass until chilled. Strain into a Nick and Nora glass. Garnish with two brandied cherries.

Monkey Shoulder Godfather Sour
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Monkey Shoulder Whisky
3/4 oz Amaretto liqueur
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz egg white (optional)

Method:
Add ingredients to shaker, shake well and strain into glass.

drinks, cutty sark pear cooler" width="620" height="396" />Cutty Sark Pear Cooler
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition
1/4 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz honey
2 oz ginger beer
1/8th of a ripe pear

Method:
In a shaker, muddle the pear with honey and lemon. Add the whisky and shake. Double strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass. Top with ginger beer and garnish with a pear slice.

DEWAR’S Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
1 part Dewar’s® White Label® Blended Scotch Whisky
1 teaspoon sugar
2 dashes bitters
2 orange slices
2 maraschino cherries
Water or soda

Method:
Place the sugar, bitters, 1 orange slice and 1 cherry in the bottom of a rocks glass. Add DEWAR’S, ice and stir. Garnish with the remaining orange slice and cherry.

The Thai Scotsman
From Hakkasan in New York City
Ingredients:
2 oz Chivas 12 Year
.5 oz lemongrass syrup
4 dashes of plum bitters
Orange zest

Method:
Build the cocktail in a Boston or coupe glass with ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemongrass stick if desired.

This post was originally published 7/27/2014 and updated 7/26/2016 by Chase McPeak.

Amanda Gabriele

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Amanda Gabriele is a food and travel writer at The Manual and the former senior editor at Supercall. She can’t live without…

Food & Drink

The 3 Best Scotch Breakfast Cocktail Recipes to Kickstart Your Morning

A refreshing glass of Miami Godfather on a table.

When you think of breakfast cocktails, you probably think of light, spritzy classics such as the mimosa, Bellini, or even the Bloody Mary. We love these traditional breakfast staples, but right now, we’ve been complementing our breakfast with an unconventional spirit -- Scotch.

While Scotch is an odd beverage to drink in the morning, mixing it in a cocktail with the right ingredients makes the smoky whisky a fine pair to pancakes and eggs. That said, here are the best Scotch breakfast cocktail recipes you can make at home to supercharge your fall mornings and overcome your fear of mixing Scotch with other ingredients.
Red Tartan

Food & Drink

Best Scotch Under $50: 7 Bottles of Affordable Whisky

best scotch under 50 whiskey dollars 2021

A fine bottle of Scotch whisky costs roughly around $300, maybe even run you under $50. What we’ve learned so far—through nonstop trial and error—is that price does not always correlate with the quality of spirit. Some of our favorite bottles of Scotch are great deals that you can get no matter where you are in the country. In setting out to write this piece, we wanted to know the perspective of someone in the Scotch whisky industry about bottles under $50, which is why we reached out to Cody Fredrickson of Las Vegas’ Scotch 80 Prime.

Fredrickson's title at Scotch 80 is literally "Scotch Master." So, right off the bat, we figured he knew what he was talking about when it comes to Scotch. Fredrickson is in charge of one of the largest collections of Scotch whisky in the world, the collective value of the bottles being right around $3 million. Nevertheless, he’s had some Scotch in his time. Below, you’ll find Fredrickson’s picks for the best Scotch under $50. Remember that the price of the bottle may vary slightly depending on where in the United States you are.

Food & Drink

Fresh Memorial Day Cocktails to Help You Celebrate this Weekend

Nolet’s Silver Carrot and Pineapple Punch

When most people think of Memorial Day, images of barbecues, closed offices, and fun probably come to mind — but Memorial Day is much more than that. The real reason most of us have the day off is to honor the brave men and women who busted their asses and sacrificed their lives in order to provide a safe, free country for the rest of us.

This Memorial Day, one way you can show your respect is by ditching the cheap beer and raising something worthy of those that already gave so much so that you didn't have to. Before you mix up anything though, why not make a smart decision before any alcohol is involved and donate to a charity such as Thanks USA or the Folds of Honor, which helps the families of fallen soldiers?