Strip Sidecar
Serves 2
90ml Highland Park Whisky
45ml Grand Marnier
25ml lime juice
25ml elderflower cordial
45ml passion fruit juice
25ml cranberry juice
Half a passion fruit, to finish
Method
All ingredients are shaken together and double strained into a coupette, garnished with a floating half passion fruit.
Daniel Walder of the Mandarin Bar says: “A whisky I highly recommend for winter is actually Japanese. It is the Suntory Yamazaki 18 Year Old.
“The Japanese have quickly mastered the production of high quality whiskies and one of the main elements for this whisky is actually the wood used to age the product. Yamazaki is aged in three types of oak casks for three different flavour profiles: American white oak (vanilla), Spanish oak (chocolate, caramel, raisins) and, most unique, Japanese oak, called mizunara (spicy). Unlike Scotland, Japan has four distinct seasons with broadly changing temperatures. During ageing, barrels expand and contract based on temperature, a process known as breathing, giving it a more intense flavour. I would recommend Yamazaki18 for its richness in body and flavors.”
Uncle Jack
Serves 1
30ml Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel
30ml Cinzano Red
30ml Grand Marnier
2 dashes of angustura bitters
1 dash of orange bitter
Orange peel, to finish
Method
Stir all ingredients together and strain into a rocks glass. To finish, garnish with orange twist.
Danielle Da Silva of The Mallard Lounge and Terrace says: “I like to recommend the Oban 14 Single Malt Scotch. It is a beautiful well-rounded whisky with a good price point. It has a medium to heavy body with great balanced flavours and is an all around great whisky.”
The Gleneagles 2014
Serves 2
250ml water
50ml Johnnie Walker Platinum
15ml ginger wine
25ml cloudy apple juice
4 cinnamon sticks
3 or 4 cloves
Zest of one lemon and one lime
A few apple slices
Method
At the heart of this drink is an ice-cube with a spicy twist. First, add 250ml of water to a pan and bring to the boil, then add the cinnamon sticks, cloves and zest. Allow this mixture to simmer for 30 minutes, then cool and add to ice cube trays. Once the ice cubes are frozen, place one in an Old Fashioned glass. To the glass, add the whisky and ginger wine, then top up with apple juice. Garnish with apple slices and enjoy!
Paul Danskin, bar manager at Blue Bar Gleneagles says: “This winter we’ll be recommending Johnnie Walker Blue Label in the comfort of our new Blue Bar – an exclusive outdoor bar with heated leather sofas, a central wood-burning fire and luxurious cashmere throws, where guests can enjoy a dram and a cigar in perfect warmth and comfort, whatever the weather.”
Islay Mist
Serves 1
50ml blended whisky
15ml peated whisky
25ml fresh lemon juice
25ml honey syrup
3 slices fresh ginger
Method
Muddle the fresh ginger in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the blended whisky, lemon juice and honey syrup with ice and shake well. Fine strain into a whisky tumbler and then float the peated whisky on top. Garnish with a knob of candied ginger.
George Novitskas, manager of Bascule Bar says: “My favourite whisky this time of the year is anything ‘peated’ (smoky) from the island of Islay off the west coast of Scotland. Peated malts stand out uniquely with their robust flavours and distinct smokiness and are undoubtedly in a league of their own in the whisky world. During winter one thinks of aromas, such as heather and earthy smouldering notes of an open fireplace which is exactly why this type of whisky is best enjoyed on a cold winter’s night on your armchair cuddled up to the fire with good company.”
Skybar Smash
Serves 1
55ml Maker’s Mark Whisky
2 strawberries
Basil
15ml simple syrup
15ml fresh lemon juice
Method
Muddle two strawberries with basil, adding the Makers Mark followed by the simple syrup and lemon juice. After combining all of the ingredients, stir and serve over ice.
Kendra Cole, SKYBAR general manager says: “Our favorite whisky to recommend to guests in the winter season is Maker’s Mark. We particularly like its warmth, which seems to please guests when it’s cold out. The Skybar Smash is a unique and refreshing way to drink an all time winter favourite.”
Manhattan
Serves 1
60ml Rye whisky
15ml Red Martini
A drop of Angostura bitters
Maraschino cherry to garnish
Method
Stir quickly from the bottom up, making sure not to cloud the drink. The Manhattan is served in a Martini glass with a Maraschino cherry.
William Oliveri, bar director at Bar 228 says: “I especially like the Macallan as it is a very refined whisky that can be enjoyed either as an aperitif or as a liqueur, alone or with a set of Mikado style canapés or even with a cigar. Winter is definitely the best season to enjoy the warmth of a great whisky, and Bar 228 is typically the best place to order that kind of elixir. In a glimpse of an eye, you are drawn into the typical intimate atmosphere and coziness of an English gentleman’s club – a reminder of the customers who flocked to the hotel in its early years.”
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Manhattan cocktail at Le Meurice © Philippe Forestier