The Rob Roy cocktail was said to be invented at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City, named after a Scottish outlaw in the 1700s, who later became a folk hero. The drink named for him is the drier cousin to the Manhattan, using blended Scotch whisky in place of the rye or bourbon. Unlike single-malt scotch, blended scotch is made from barley as well as other grains and is usually only lightly peated, so it has less of the smoky flavors that are a feature of many single-malt scotch whiskies.
Although wildly popular in its day, the Rob Roy has sadly been foreshadowed by the Manhattan, a cocktail I like a lot. But sometimes I’m looking for something drier, with a subtle hint of smokiness, but not enough to make it an all-out fume-fest. And that’s when the Rob Roy rides in.
The classic Rob Roy uses aromatic bitters, an all-encompassing term that refers to bitters that are a melody of spices, none not always more prominent than the others. (Although clove and allspice sometimes can’t help but elbow their way forward.) Another feature of aromatic bitters is its rosy color, which brightens up any cocktail a dash or two of it is added to, as it does here.
Rob Roy cocktail
(I did once order a Manhattan in a dive bar and the bartender added a generous pour of the juice from the jar of maraschino cherries, which was way too much. But a tiny dash does hight the other flavors.)
Ingredients
- 2 ounces blended Scotch whisky
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- 2 dashes aromatic bitters
- 1/4 teaspoon candied cherry juice optional, (from the jar)
- candied or maraschino cherry for garnish
Instructions
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Add the whisky, vermouth, bitters, and cherry juice (if using) to a mixing glass.
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Fill the glass three-quarters full with ice cubes and stir briskly until well-chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with cherry.