Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Scotch Cocktails

The 20 Best Scotch Whisky Cocktails

The spirit isn’t just for neat pours.

Rob Roy cocktail in coupe glass with three brandied cherries, shot on gray marble surface

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

Scotch may conjure images of crystal decanters and neat pours, but the Scottish whisky also contributes its varied flavor profile to a wide range of cocktails. While blended scotch is the more common choice in classics like the Rob Roy, single malt bottlings including smoky Islay expressions can add depth of flavor to the Penicillin and other creations.

Here are our 20 favorite ways to use scotch in cocktails.

  • Penicillin

    Penicillin cocktail with light foam and three ice cubes in rocks glass, with candied ginger garnish

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Though it’s only been around since the mid-2000s, this Gold Rush riff from New York City institution Milk & Honey has become a true modern classic. An original creation of bartender Sam Ross, the Penicillin calls for two kinds of scotch: Blended scotch forms the drink’s base, along with lemon juice and honey-ginger syrup, while a float of Islay single malt adds its distinctive smoky aroma and flavor profile.

    Get the recipe.

  • Rob Roy

    Rob Roy cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Scotch replaces the traditional rye whiskey in this classic Manhattan variation, named for the Scottish folk hero. Older recipes often called for equal parts scotch and sweet vermouth, but modern versions typically rely on a 2:1 build, while Angostura bitters add aromatic complexity.

    Get the recipe.

  • Bobby Burns

    Bobby Burns cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Named for a Scottish poet, this classic 19th-century cocktail is similar to the Rob Roy but slightly lighter and more aromatic. It calls for blended scotch and sweet vermouth in equal measures and replaces bitters with the honeyed French liqueur Benedictine.

    Get the recipe.

  • Blood & Sand

    Blood and sand cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    As the late Gary “gaz” Regan writes, “Scotch, cherry brandy, sweet vermouth and orange juice don’t seem to belong in the same crib, let alone the same glass.” But somehow, the ingredients work together in this bright and fruit-forward cocktail, which is a good introductory drink for the whisky-averse.

    Get the recipe.

    Continue to 5 of 20 below.
  • Godfather

    Godfather cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    It’s a cocktail you can’t refuse: This simple two-part combination of blended Scotch whisky and amaretto became an instant classic, just like the movie that inspired it, when it debuted in the 1970s. The almond-flavored liqueur softens the flavors of the whisky without masking them.

    Get the recipe.

  • Mamie Taylor

    Mamie Taylor

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Named for a famous opera singer and said to have been invented sometime around 1899, this turn-of-the-century drink is a refreshing highball you won’t want to put down. Similar to a Moscow Mule, the drink tops blended scotch and lime juice with ginger beer.

    Get the recipe.

  • Rusty Nail

    Rusty Nail cocktail in a rocks glass with single large ice cube and lemon twist garnish

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    A perennial favorite, this simple recipe is a perfect post-dinner nightcap. Just add scotch and the honeyed whisky liqueur Drambuie to a glass with ice, stir, and serve. It’s really that easy.

    Get the recipe.

  • Smoky Martini

    Smoky Martini

    Liquor.com / Laura Sant

    For this elegant Martini variation, bartending legend Dale DeGroff swaps the usual dry vermouth for blended scotch. In sparing quantities, the spirit’s savory and smoky notes dance beautifully with gin’s botanicals.

    Get the recipe.

    Continue to 9 of 20 below.
  • Sin Cyn

    Sin Cyn cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    This simple yet sophisticated drink from bartender Paul Dellevigne takes the Negroni format for a scotch spin. With equal parts single malt scotch, Cynar amaro, and a particularly bold sweet vermouth, it’s equally appropriate as a pre-dinner drink or nightcap.

    Get the recipe.

  • North Sea Oil

    North Sea Oil

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Bar pro Leo Robitschek pairs the herbaceous spirit aquavit with a smoky Islay scotch for this complex and spirit-forward drink that he says “doesn’t quite fit in any box.” Cocchi Americano and triple sec tie everything together.

    Get the recipe.

  • The Modern

    Modern cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog 

    At one time, Scotch whisky and sloe gin were the trendiest ingredients around. Created by famed New York City bartender Charlie Mahoney in the first decade of the 20th century, The Modern calls for both, along with lemon juice, sugar, and dashes of absinthe and orange bitters.

    Get the recipe.

  • Dreamy Dorini Smoky Martini

    Dreamy Dorini Smoking Martini

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    This drink from bar pro Audrey Saunders of the late Pegu Club and other seminal cocktail bars is essentially an upgraded Smoky Martini. Saunders uses neutral vodka as the base, allowing the strong smoky notes of an Islay scotch whisky to come through, and adds a dash of Pernod for extra depth of flavor. The results are dreamy, indeed.

    Get the recipe.

    Continue to 13 of 20 below.
  • Churchill

    Churchill cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Winston Churchill is one of the most famous scotch drinkers of all time. Bartender Joe Gilmore of the famed American Bar in London created this cocktail in honor of the prime minister with blended scotch whisky, Cointreau, sweet vermouth, and lime juice.

    Get the recipe.

  • Scotch & Soda

    Scotch & Soda
    Scotch & Soda.

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Like any Whiskey Highball, this drink can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. Ice and soda water help to tamp down the burn of the spirit and release some of its fruitier notes.

    Get the recipe.

  • Prophet in Plain Clothes

    Prophet in Plain Clothes cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    This smoky, bittersweet, and undeniably bold Rob Roy riff combines a Laphroaig 10-year-old expression, Fernet-Branca, sweet vermouth, and Amaro Cinpatrazzo. “It hides the glorious message of Fernet inside,” says creator Kraig Rovensky of the drink’s name. 

    Get the recipe.

  • Royal Balmoral Punch

    Royal Balmoral Punch

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    This festive fizzy cocktail from bartending vet Charlotte Voisey combines a single malt scotch with Granny Smith apple juice, an English breakfast tea syrup, sparkling lemonade, and Champagne. The ingredients can easily be scaled up, though you might opt for a blended scotch if making for a crowd.

    Get the recipe.

    Continue to 17 of 20 below.
  • Cunningham

    Cunningham cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Created by San Francisco bartender Marco Dionysos, this vibrant Scotch Sour features some familiar flavors. Cherry heering liqueur and orange juice nod to the Blood & Sand, while Benedictine pulls from the Bobby Burns. Blood orange and lemon juices brighten the combination.

    Get the recipe.

  • Grapefruit Collins

    Grapefruit Collins cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Created by Ross at acclaimed New York City bar Attaboy, this Collins is technically a Fizz thanks to the addition of egg white. Whatever you call it, the delicious combination of blended scotch, grapefruit juice, lemon, simple syrup, bitters, egg white, and soda water will convert even non-whisky drinkers.

    Get the recipe.

  • South by Southwest

    South by Southwest Cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Regan revived this recipe from Benny McKew for his book The Negroni. The drink itself, essentially a scotch Negroni, is easy to make: Just stir scotch, Campari, and sweet vermouth with ice, then strain into a glass sprayed with orange blossom water.

    Get the recipe.

  • Rusty Compass

    Rusty Compass Cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    The bold and bracing drink from New York City bartender Meaghan Dorman features Compass Box’s smoky Peat Monster expression, which she pairs with Drambuie in a nod to the classic Rusty Nail. A splash of Heering cherry liqueur gently sweetens the combination while adding depth of flavor.

    Get the recipe.