Celebrate National Scotch Day With Cocktails

Sunday July 27th is National Scotch Day. If you’re a fan of Scotch whisky, you might already have your favorite bottle ready to go for the occasion. If you’re not a Scotch fan already but curious about this category, there are a few important things to consider. Much like American whiskey, Scotland has five different whisky regions — Campbeltown, Highland, Islay, Lowland, and Speyside — with varying styles and flavor profiles. Not all Scotch is smoky and peated. Even with peated Scotch whisky, flavors and levels of smokiness differ.

You may have heard that if you’re dipping your toe into a new category of whisky, it’s best to reach for a high-quality expression. I agree with this wisdom; however, price is not always indicative of quality. Someone new to a certain style or category may not appreciate an expensive unicorn whisky until they become more familiar with it. So, I always suggest sticking with an affordable price point, especially if you’re the one paying for the bottle or the tab.

Another friend to new whisk(e)y drinkers is the cocktail. Cocktails are a great gateway to new spirits and flavors. And cocktails made with approachable whisky, even better. Monkey Shoulder Whisky is here to step into the role. Made with a blend of single malt whiskey from Speyside, it’s an approachable whisky delivering non-peated flavors of vanilla, honey, and oranges at a great price. Perfect for cocktails and simple drinks like whisky and ginger ale.

One of my favorite cocktails to mix up with Monkey Shoulder is the Monkey Jam Sour. I am a sucker for a good whisky sour. This cocktail (with a few of my own tweaks) adds an extra punch of fruit and sweetness, which makes it perfect for summer sipping. Try this cocktail with your jam of choice and add a new interesting twist every time you make it.

Monkey Jam Sour
2 oz Monkey Shoulder Whisky
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
2 tbs jam or marmalade
2 dashes orange bitters
1 egg white or 4 dashes of cocktail foam, or 2 tbs  aquafaba
1 citrus slice

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with cubed ice. Shake well until the shaker is cold and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a citrus slice.

Mango Monkey
1.5 ounces Monkey Shoulder Whisky
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
.5 oz mango syrup

Shake all ingredients with cubed ice until the shaker tin is cold. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice, top with ginger ale and garnish with fresh mint.

Pineapple Ginger Old Fashioned
2 oz Monkey Shoulder Whisky
.5 oz pineapple ginger syrup
3 dashes tiki bitters

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with cubed ice and stir until the glass is cold. Strain into an old fashioned glass over fresh cubed ice and garnish with a pineapple slice or lemon peel.

To make the pineapple ginger syrup: add ½ cup of pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon of ginger paste and ¼ cup of raw cane sugar to a saucepan. Stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then remove it from the heat, let it cool, and store it in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

Monkey Splash
1.5 oz Monkey Shoulder Whisky
3 oz soda
1 orange slice

Add whisky and soda to a rocks glass over cubed ice, stir and garnish with an orange slice. Add a dash of bitters for a little magic.

Show Me The Monkey
1.5 oz Monkey Shoulder Whisky
.75 oz Drambuie
3 oz fresh, no sugar added apple juice
3 mint leaves
1 orange slice

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with cubed ice and shake well until the cocktail shaker is cold. Strain into a tall glass over fresh cubed ice and garnish with mint leaves and an orange slice.

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