Scotch Cocktails

While we love our scotch neat, on the rocks or with a bit of water, there's a wide range of classic cocktail recipes and modern riffs. Get a whole new appreciation for scotch by mixing some of these great scotch drinks.

The Bottom Line single malt scotch cocktail in rocks glass with ice cubes on white surface

The 10 Best Single Malt Scotch Cocktails

You don’t have to reserve single malt bottlings like Islay expressions for neat sipping. These 10 cocktails—including the Penicillin, the Sin Cyn, and variations on the Rob Roy—show that a little can go a long way in cocktails.

Godfather cocktail in a rocks glass with single large ice cube, on marble background

The 11 Best Blended Scotch Cocktails

From the Rob Roy and Bobby Burns to the Godfather, these classics are worth committing to memory.

Scotch Sour with egg white foam on top, in a rocks glass with single large ice cube, and orange twist garnish

A spirit-specific variation of the classic Whiskey Sour, the Scotch Sour brings its own unique flavor profile, and a few small tweaks can create a cocktail that stands on its own.

Storm King cocktail

North Sea Oil

Grapefruit Collins cocktail

Grapefruit Collins

25th Hour cocktail

Gold Rush cocktail in an engraved rocks glass with single large ice cup and lemon twist, on a dark marble background

20 Whiskey Cocktails That Are Perfect for Summer

Cunningham cocktail

Prophet in Plain Clothes cocktail

Prophet in Plain Clothes

Mint Green Old Fashioned

Mint Green Old Fashioned

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

The 20 Best Scotch Whisky Cocktails

The Bootstitch at Firestone & Robertson distillery in Fort Worth, Texas

5 Easy Whiskey Sour Twists to Make Right Now

A short rocks glass sits in the corner of a wooden windowsill, a window just out of frame behind it. The glass is filled with ice and a red-orange drink, and is garnished with four thin slices of apple and a plastic red and black key.

Witches’ Brew

The History and Secrets of the Rob Roy

Blood and Sand in a cocktail glass with an orange peel garnish

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

scotch and soda cocktail in a highball glass with ice

Hot Toddy cocktail in a glass mug with lemon wheel and cloves

whiskey mac cocktail on the rocks, served on a wooden bar

Penicillin cocktail

Godfather cocktail in a rocks glass with single large ice cube, on marble background

Set the New Year on Fire cocktail in a collins glass, garnished with a flaming lime shell

Set the New Year on Fire

A clear glass cocktail mug filled with light brown liquid and garnished with a lemon twist; a metal pitcher with flames coming from within it sits to the left of the mug.

A coupe rests on a round, lined surface against a solid black backdrop. The coupe is filled with a dark red cocktail, and a grapefruit peel is pinned to the rim with a miniature clothespin.

South by Southwest

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

A Collins glass filled with clear ice cubes and an amber-hued effervescent drink

Frank Caiafa’s Rob Roy

red-hued Modern cocktail in a coupe glass with a skewered cherry balanced on the rim

An elegant, chunky coupe rests on a marble counter with a gray wall behind it. The glass is filled with a golden drink with a thick foam head. Six flakes of edible gold rest on the foam in a line.

A faceted cocktail coupe sits on a marble surface. A beam of light illuminates a golden beverage within, and a thin slice of lemon peel. The rest of the photo is in shadow.

A short, unadorned coupe stands on a wooden surface. The glass holds a crimson cocktail and a thin slice of orange.

Smoky Martini with a lemon twist served on a metal tray

red-colored Tart ’n' Sand cocktail in a coupe with an orange wheel, set in a sunbeam on a dark granite counter

Tart ’n’ Sand

Royal Balmoral Punch

Royal Balmoral Punch

A rocks glass with a stirred brown cocktail on a large ice cube garnished with lemon zest

Whisky in Church

A clear glass mug filled just over halfway with a deep amber-colored hot cocktail

Corpse Reviver 212

Sin Cyn cocktail

Big Red cocktail in a Collins glass over ice with two red-and-white straws, served next to a bottle of Budweiser

A textured highball glass containing a golden effervescent cocktail garnished with a lime wedge

One-Two Punch

Hudson Highland Cup

Hudson Highland Cup

A hexagonal rocks glass sits on a dramatically lit white surface. It’s filled with ice cubes and an amber drink.

The Bottom Line

Scotch Martinis to Try Now

Bee Sting

She’s No Gentleman Cocktail Recipe

She’s No Gentleman

A Boy Named Sue

dark brown Spanish Armada cocktail with curled, fanned-out orange peel garnish in Nick & Nora glass

Harvest Time cocktail

Hebridean Shores

Whisky Contardo

My Golden Dram cocktail in a Champagne flute with a sugar cube at bottom and tiny bubbles floating upward, served on wooden surface

A thin cocktail glass with a knobbed stem rests on a wooden table. It’s filled with an amber drink, and behind it a mixing glass holds ice and more of the drink.

A rocks glass is photographer in tight, shallow focus. The drink within is carrot-orange over a few ice cubes, garnished with a dry carrot ring and flaky salt.

From Jura to Java

A beautifully etched cocktail glass holds a blood-red drink on a white backdrop.

Mama I'm Coming Home cocktail in a clear Irish coffee mug, garnished with a skewered piece of caramel candy

Mama, I’m Coming Home

More in By Spirit:

Bourbon Cocktails

bourbon cocktail illustration

Vodka Cocktails

vodka cocktail illustration

rum cocktail ullustration

Rye Whiskey Cocktails

rye whiskey cocktail illustration

Other Whiskey Cocktails

other whiskey cocktails illustration

Tequila & Mezcal Cocktails

tequila cocktail illustration

Cognac & Other Brandy Cocktails

brandy cocktail illustration

Other Cocktails

other spirits illustration

gin cocktail illustration