Frozen Blood and Sand Cocktail

Scotch in a blended drink? Yes! Try this smoky, fruity, and spicy frozen cocktail at your next cookout.

Blood Orange Flip

Lately one of my favorite ways to use blood orange juice is with whiskey. Both ingredients have a certain amount of sweetness, but the citrusy sourness of the blood orange helps liven up the richness of whiskey. Looking to add a little depth to the cocktail, I added a hint of honey syrup.

The Arnaud's Special

With the advance of autumn, it's time to break out the dark-spirit drinks suitable to the cooler seasons. The Arnaud's Special is a close cousin to the Rob Roy, and was the house cocktail for Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans during the 1940s and '50s.

Modern Cocktail No. 2

The Modern Cocktail No. 2 shows how wonderfully blended scotch can work in a cocktail. As written in the Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930, the Modern #2 matches the smooth richness of blended scotch with the sharp tang of sloe gin, with dashes of absinthe, grenadine and bitters lending additional complexity.

Fog Cutter

The Bay Area's best food & drink bloggers have recently lauded the Fog Cutter, and with good reason: it's a delicate, fruity blend of several spirits and juices. Be forewarned: it packs a punch.

Rob Roy

The simple Manhattan variation is improved greatly with the help of fresh vermouth and a good blended Scotch.

Auld Draper

Byrrh, a mild apéritif based on red wine and flavored lightly with quinine, gives a rich and spicy kick to this easy-to-make gin cocktail.

Basin Street Blues

This cocktail, adapted from Domenica in New Orleans, is pretty low in alcohol, but not at all low in flavor. It reminds us of caramel and lemon drops, with an essential smoky addition from a few drops of Scotch.

The Blood Orange Boulevardier: A Winter Campari Cocktail

Do you love Negronis in the summer? Try the Blood Orange Boulevardier! This Campari, bourbon, and sweet vermouth cocktail makes for a sophisticated winter sip.

Blonde Redhead

This cocktail, created by Douglas Derrick of Ava Gene's in Portland, Oregon, is a masterful combination of just three ingredients: spicy whiskey, luscious vermouth, and complex Barolo Chinato, a bittersweet, herb- and spice-dosed digestivo made from one of Italy's best wines. The result is chocolaty, smooth, and deep. Though it's in the same family, it's subtler than a Boulevardier.