Last month’s Bon Appetit came with a little present for me—no, not a subscription card to Gourmet; that came with the magazine’s final November issue, to add insult to injury—a cocktail recipe composed of my favorite components. Scotch, lemon juice, and elderflower liqueur combined to make something called the Highland’s Fall, and it was so enticing, it only took me six weeks to mix it up. (I have a bit of a recipe backlog going on.)
Surprisingly, I found the mix too harshly citric—and this coming from me, the most devout of the lemon lovers—but happily, I was simultaneously drinking a ginger beer while self-bartending, so I cut the twang with a little of my beloved carbonated beverage. The warmth of the ginger softened the citrus tones while blending with the smoky undertones of the Scotch and the delicacy of the elderflower.
It’s definitely not as mannish as having a finger of whisky while you hunch over the bar and mumble about the underrated genius of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, but it’s still quite appropriate for a pre-dinner toast by a roaring fireplace. I’m renaming it the Glasgow Ginger in honor of its new ingredients.
And should you be in Scotland any time soon, remember that the Scots do love walking as their preferred method of transportation. A wee tipple can help ease the pain of huffing up a steep hill after a day of sightseeing. In fact, it’s so effective that when I visited my sister, who studied in Glasgow, we started referring to our nightly cocktails as “the Scotch scooter” for making the long walk back to her apartment feel incredibly short and speedy. Cheers!
Glasgow Ginger
Total time: 5 minutes
Makes 2 drinks
Ingredients:
- 2 drops of your finest Islay single malt (I am a Lagavulin/Laphroaig girl myself)
- 1/2 cup blended Scotch, such as Dewar’s
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3 tbsp St. Germain elderflower liqueur
- 1/4 cup ginger beer
Method:
Pour just a drop of the smoky Islay Scotch into each of two cool retro coupes and swirl it around to “rinse” the glasses. Set aside.
In a cocktail shaker, combine the blended Scotch, lemon juice, and St. Germain with five or six ice cubes. I don’t care what shape or size they are; I’m not a mixologist from PDT, for Pete’s sake. Just take what comes out of your freezer and shake it around for 30 seconds.
Pour into the prepared glasses and top with half the ginger beer in each coupe.
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Sounds delicious! I also had a pumpkin martini the other night which was so creamy and delicious that I’m afraid martinis are ruined forever! Go try one today!
Love it. I’ve never tried it and I already know I’d love it.
Here is the question – Where can you find REAL Ginger Beer? Not the light stuff with ginger flavor, but the true spicy Jamaican Ginger Beer that will burn the back of your throat? Haven’t found it in 4 years in NYC.
Yum. This is definitely something I’d like.
I don’t think you should waste a terrific single malt Scotch on a mixed drink. Sorry – drink it neat.
Ariel – I love Maine Root’s Ginger Brew. I had it this summer in Portland, but my local Whole Foods has started stocking it.
Dad – you only use a drop of of the good smoky scotch. The rest of it is the blended stuff, so you’re not wasting the high-end hooch.
Dear lord, I’m so passing this on to some of my mixology friends here in the bay area. The next time you come down, we need to take you to Cask!
I will pass this onto my hubby, who is a scotch drinker. He’s likely to love the combo.
Putting ginger beer in your single malt?! My Scottish ancestors are definitely rolling in their graves and complaining mightily. (Might taste good though!)
Dear Melanie’s Super-Upstanding Ancestors, it’s only a drop or two of single malt. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t taint TOO much of my precious Lagavulin with more than water.
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